Future Uncertain - The Connor McKeithan Story
by Martine Lewis
Summary: Connor McKeithan has always had strange dreams. Ten days after his eleventh birthday, he finds out he is a wizard when Harry Potter visits him to bring him his Hogwarts letter. Seven years of school and special power ensue.
1. Chapter 0 - Prologue

**Title:** Future Uncertain

**Author:** Martine Lewis  
**Genre:** Drama, Romance, Angst  
**Warnings:** well, at this point, I don't have a whole lot… Actually, I am making this story M just to be on the safe side. I think it could be lower than that, really.  
**Rating:** M  
**Setting:** Post DH

**Summary:** Muggle born Connor McKeithan joins Hogwarts two years after the war. This is the story of his seven years at Hogwarts. Harry and gang are part of this story even if it is from Connor's point of view.

**Disclaimer and copyright recognition:** Potterverse and all of Potterverse original characters and settings are the sole property of JKR. Thank you JKR for giving us such a wonderful world to write in!

With that being said, Connor Avery McKeithan and all of his friends are my characters, so are all the locations created for them (aka Connor's house and tower). If you want to use them, please recognize my ownership of them. If you are tempted to actually use my work elsewhere (on the internet or in printed media now that a lot of fanfiction find themselves modified and published!) and claim it as your own, be ready for a fight. Do know my stories are written by hand and I have undeniable proof this work is all mine. Oh, and 'all right reserved' on my original content!

**A/N:** Thank you Arpad for your undying support and your beta services. I don't think I could do half of what I do without you.

To all of my readers, as you read Connor's first year, you may have the impression you read something similar somewhere. The truth of the matter is a lot of scenes are from my story Harry Potter and the Ring of Power but from Connor's point of view. So of course the dialogues are the same! So yes, I shamelessly copied from my own work!

Finally, I'll be glad to PDF any of my chapters if you want to read them with your e-reader. Just drop me a message.

Prologue

Saturday July 20, 1996

Connor Avery McKeithan was at the living room window, anxiously waiting for his godfather to arrive. Today was his eighth birthday.

Like every Saturday, Connor's godfather would visit him but today, even if it was his birthday, Connor wished he wouldn't come. The previous night, he had had a dream, a horrible dream in which his godfather had died in a motorbike accident on his way home after his weekly visit. In his dream, Connor had seen a green car run a red light and hit his godfather square on. His godfather hadn't had a chance.

The sound of a motorbike coming down the street brought his attention back to the window. A few moments later, his godfather rode onto the sidewalk and parked his bike right under the living room window. Taking a deep breath, Connor walked towards the front to look at the door which his mum had just opened and stayed half-hidden by the living room wall.

"Mary!" said his godfather, hugging her. "As lovely as ever! Where is my big lazy brother?"

"I heard that!" called Connor's dad from the kitchen.

"And you? You're not saying hi?" asked his godfather, turning to Connor with a wide smile.

Connor ran to him and hugged him as strongly as he could. His godfather had ridden his motorbike and he was wearing the same clothes he had seen in his dream. Connor was sad and was fighting the growing lump in his throat. How was he ever to convince his godfather to leave his bike behind?

The small birthday party was a subdue affair for Connor. While his parents and godfather had laughed and applauded at the right moment, Connor spirit would simply not lift. Even when he opened his godfather's gift, which was a set of wooden small trucks and cars he could paint himself, his spirit did not rise.

"What's bothering you, young fellow?" asked his godfather later that evening, when he was tucking him in for the night. "You haven't been at all cheerful today."

"Don't ride your motorbike home," begged Connor. "Ride the Tube instead."

"And why would I want to do that?" asked his godfather with a smile. "My bike is a lot faster."

"Because you'll get in an accident and you'll die."

"Of course I won't," said his godfather, dismissing the warning with a wave of his hand. "I'll be just fine, you'll see," he added with a grin.

"No, you won't!" said Connor, his little fists hitting his godfather on the chest. "I saw it in my dreams! There will be a red light and this green car won't be able to stop! You'll be hit by that car!" he said, tears falling from his eyes.

His godfather took him in his arms and hugged him tightly.

"Connor, it was only a dream," he said gently. "I'll be fine. I don't live very far and there is not a lot of traffic at this time."

"Please," begged Connor again. "Don't take your motorbike home."

"Connor, I love you and I understand your fears, but I'll be fine."

Connor hugged him then, knowing in his heart it would be the last time he ever would.

"I love you, too," he said as his godfather turned off the light and left.

Connor cried himself to sleep and was woken by the doorbell. He figured it wasn't very late since his parents hadn't come up to bed yet. Dreading this impromptu visitor, Connor got out of bed and went to the top of the stairway where he could see the front door. He saw his mother opened the door to reveal a police officer with a sober expression.

"Mrs Mary McKeithan?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Mrs McKeithan, I'm afraid I have bad news. There was an accident earlier tonight and I'm sorry to have to tell you that Mr John McKeithan was killed."

"Thank you for notifying us," said his mother numbly, closing the door.

"No," whispered Connor. "No! I told him not to use his bike!" he cried.

"Connor," whispered Mrs McKeithan, looking up the stairs.

"I told him the car wouldn't be able to stop! I told him the car would run a red light. And I told him he would get hit by a green car! And he didn't want to believe me!"

In tears, Connor ran to his room and slammed the door behind him.

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A week later, it was raining during the funeral at the cemetery. It suited Connor's mood perfectly since he was so sad but also so very angry.

His godfather hadn't believed him.

He hadn't believed him and he had died.

His tears of grief were mixed with tears of anger throughout the ceremony and he was still crying when his mum came and found him in his bedroom later that afternoon. She sat on the bed next to him and took him in her arms.

"Connor, sweetheart, how did you know John would get in an accident?" she asked gently.

"I – I had s – seen it in my d – dream," sobbed Connor against his mother's bosom.

"In a dream?"

"Yes," answered Connor. "I – I saw the car r-run the r-red light. I s-saw the green c-car hit him."

"Was it the first time you dreamt about something that ended up happening?"

"You'll c-cut your f-finger on a k-knife while doing the d-dishes t-tonight," hiccupped Connor in response.

In reality, Connor had had these dreams for as long as he could remember but the happenings were so minor he rarely paid any attention to them. Who really cared that Miss Annigan, the next door neighbour, would find a kitten she would name Girly? And who cared the other neighbour, Mr Murphy, would get a letter from his long lost son?

His mother held him a little longer.

"Will you be okay?" she asked.

He nodded and she left him a few moments later to go cook dinner.

That night, while she was doing the dishes, she did cut herself on a knife.

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	2. Chapter 1 - The Letter

Chapter 1 – The Letter

Tuesday July 20, 1999

Connor woke up dazed and confused. For a moment, he could not remember where he was. His dream had felt so real and had been so wonderful. It was nothing like the nightmare he had had a few days ago when, trying to hide to evade pursuit by an unknown assailant, he had willed all the exits to the room he had been hiding in to seal themselves. He had woken up to find his bedroom door gone, completely gone. His parents had had to get him out through the window with a ladder, which was in itself a scary experience for him since his room was on the upper floor and he was terrified of heights. Then his parents had proceeded with hammering a hole in the wall to regain access to the room. The dream had been scary enough for Connor but waking up trapped with no way out had been far worse.

But the dream he had just had was clear, precise and utterly wonderful. He had walked into a great hall next to a boy he had never seen before but with whom he knew to be friends. The great hall had four very long tables at which students of all ages, all wearing the same uniform and short pointed hat, were sitting. The ceiling reflected the night sky and was illuminated by a half moon and thousands upon thousands of stars. As he walked towards the front of the hall, Connor saw another table at which were seated a dozen adults. In the middle was seated an older lady with a dignified expression and a very long pointed hat. To her immediate right was an empty seat, then next to it was seated a man younger than his parents with black unruly hair and round glasses. On his forehead, Connor could see the shadow of a lightning-shaped scar. The man, who could not have been more than twenty, warmly smiled at him. On the right of this man, Connor saw the biggest person he had ever seen. The giant had unruly brown hair and a bushy beard. His huge hands were the size of plates.

On the left of the witch with a pointed hat sat the smallest man Connor had ever seen.

Before Connor could pay more attention to the adults at the main table, his dream had shifted and he had found himself sitting at one of those tables, next to his friend, discussing with other students when, all of the sudden, more food than he could ever imagined appeared on the table. Shocked, he looked at it, not quite knowing what do to. When he saw the other students were enthusiastically filling their plates, he took his and began to fill it also. He was about to take a bite of a delicious looking chicken leg when he woke up.

As Connor lay in bed, his stomach growled loudly. He was often hungry nowadays but he didn't dare tell his parents. Connor knew, even if they never talked about it in front of him, that they were sorely poor. At every meal, he would eat a little less than what he would really like because the size of his meal directly impacted how much his mum would get to eat. Effectively, the more there was on his plate, the less there was on hers. And his mum worked so hard every day to make sure they had something to eat.

Connor loved his mum fiercely. She was gentle, warm and supportive, even if she wasn't home very often. To keep them fed and clothed, she worked two jobs and over seventy hours a week. She had breaks only on Sundays during which she would clean the house with his help.

Connor loved his dad, too, but sadly his dad was blind and couldn't help much around the house. He was also handicapped. He had lost his left leg during an attack when he was in the first war in Iraq. Of course, he couldn't work. A few years earlier, when his vision had become too bad, he had to quit his job as a small electronics repair man. It had been hard on the family and it still was, as far as Connor could see.

Every Sunday, his father would insist on doing his part and vacuum the living room, the hall and the stairway to the first floor. He had been doing it for so long he rarely missed a spot. During the week, Connor's father would tinker with little pieces of electronic equipment, trying to get his fingers to remember what his eyes could no longer see.

And it wass exactly what his father was doing that morning when Connor came down for breakfast.

"Happy birthday, son," said his father warmly when Connor joined him in the living room.

In the aftermath of his dream, Connor had forgotten it was his birthday. He winced internally thinking about the sacrifices his parents had made in order to buy the book they would give later, and to pay for their upcoming evening sortie to the movies. His parents were yet to give him his gifts but he knew about them, having seen them in his dreams. For as long as Connor could remember, his parents had been unable to completely surprise him for Christmas and his birthday. Those two occasions being so important to him, he had unmistakably dreamt about them. However, he always acted surprised because he knew it made his parents happy, but he suspected they may know he knew what was coming regardless.

"Mum bought you a banana nut muffin for your breakfast," said his father with a smile.

Banana nut muffins were his favourite. And, for once, he hadn't dreamt about this little detail. Beaming with happiness at the surprise and the treat, Connor ran to the kitchen. His prized breakfast was waiting for him on the table, covered by a bowl. He slowly picked up the bowl to reveal a muffin which was bigger than his fist. He slowly sat down and, breaking his muffin in bits, began to eat slowly, so he would enjoy every bite of his delightful breakfast. It beat the taste of plain cereal, no doubt there.

"Do you like it, son?" asked his father, walking into the kitchen.

Connor swallowed the bite he was enjoying.

"Yes, Dad! Thank you!"

"Did you know this time?"

Connor knew his dad was asking about his dreams.

"Not about the muffin, dad," he answered, his mouth still full.

His father chuckled amused.

"About the rest?"

Connor did not answer but looked at his plate sadly.

"Don't worry," said his dad with a warm smile, as if he had seen his reaction. "I won't tell your mum."

Connor smiled back at him and resumed his breakfast.

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His mum arrived from work relatively early that evening. When she arrived, she was laden with a bag of food from the restaurant she worked at. Restaurant food was another very rare treat and Connor took the bag from her eagerly, to allow her to remove her cardigan. He brought the bag to the kitchen and put it on the table. He returned to the hallway to see his dad great his mum.

"How was your day, love?" he asked, taking her cardigan and hanging it on the peg behind the door.

"Very good," she answered, kissing him on the cheek. "And you?"

"Excellent!" he answered.

The ritual was always the same but Connor never tired of witnessing it. This daily display of affection just showed him how strong of a couple his parents were and, despite being poor, his parents loved one another dearly.

"How was your day, Connor?" asked his mum, walking to him and gently caressing his short dirty blond hair.

"Good mum," he gave the ritual answer. "I'll set the table while you go change."

"Good boy," said his mum with a warm smile.

A few minutes later, they were sitting at the table, enjoying a simple meal of burgers and chips while Connor's mother was telling stories about funny or generous clients. Connor loved these rare moments, which usually only happened on Sunday nights. Effectively, most nights, his mum would come back from work when he was ready for bed.

"For your birthday, my love, we thought we would take you to the pictures," said his mum once they were done with dinner, and were putting the dishes away.

"The pictures?" he said, feigning surprise but feeling genuine joy, nevertheless.

Of course he knew they would be going; he had dreamt about it. But he had a chance to go and he really looked forward to it.

"But what are we going to go see?" he asked.

"Oh! I don't know! We'll see when we get there, okay?"

Connor greatly enjoyed the movie they had seen: Star Wars – The Phantom Menace. He felt a kingship with the young Skywalker, who, like him, seemed to possess some strange power. And the character's mother made him think of his.

He was still thinking about the movie when he pulled aside the old sheet that now served as a bedroom door, and walked into his bedroom. His two stray cats, Milord and Milady, were sleeping curled up on his bed. Again, they had come into the house while they were gone. Connor had long ago stopped trying to figure out how they came in when nobody was there to let them through the door, and simply enjoyed their presence and companionship.

He remembered when they had first come to him. He had been sitting in the backyard, crying because of the bullies at school. He had been eight years old and it was only a few months after his godfather had died. That year, the bullying had taken a turn for the worse when, in the first week of school, he had told a girl in his class not to go home because her house would burn down. Two days later, when the news had spread the house had effectively burned and Connor had predicted it, everybody had begun to whisper behind his back and he had soon found himself alone. From that point on, the other kids had associated him with bad luck. The bigger kids had taken upon themselves to intimidate him every chance they had, especially since he was not only perceived as a freak but also as a nerd due to his above-average class work and his poor athletic performance.

That evening, he had been crying for a good ten minutes when he had felt something warm and fluffy against his legs. He had looked down and seen a large orange tabby with white paws and nose, and a peculiar fluffy tail, looking back at him. The cat had meowed softly, as if to ask him what was wrong. There was so much intelligence in the yellow-orange eyes which had been looking at him that Connor had told the cat everything. As he was talking, another cat had joined them and jumped on the bench next to him. This later cat was grey with a white belly, and was also very large with the peculiar fluffy tail. While the orange cat's eyes had looked intelligent, this cat yellow eyes had looked compassionate. And she had demonstrated it by rubbing her head affectionately against his arm and purring loudly when he had petted her. Somehow, Connor had known the orange cat was a male named Milord and the grey cat a female named Milady.

At first, Connor's parents had been reluctant to allow him to keep the cats but when it became apparent they were not going away, his parents had relented. From that day forward, the cats had been an addition to the household, never asking for food, and coming and going as they pleased.

As Connor came into the room, Milord stood and stretched extensively. He then sat and looked up at him with questions in his eyes. That's when Connor saw the book on his bed, right where Milord had been laying down. He had been expecting a book for his birthday but he didn't know what it would be about. Connor picked up the package and unwrap the brown paper which was covering it. The book was a wonderfully illustrated story book about Merlin the Enchanter. He opened it and looked at the illustration avidly. The art work was simply beautiful and Connor didn't think he owned something so pretty. But as he flipped through the book, he had the uncanny impression the images moved as he turned the page away.

"Do you like it?" asked him mum from his doorway

Startled, Connor looked up and smiled.

"Yes," he said, returning to the illustrations.

"Do you know the story?" she asked.

"No," he answered.

"Well, I think you'll like it," she said with a smile.

"Where did you find it?"

"At a second-hand books shop in the shopping district."

_Second-hand books shop?_ wondered Connor. The book looked brand new.

"Thank you, mum," he said, looking at her again. "It's beautiful."

"Well, don't stay up too late, love," she said and left him.

He turned to the first page and began to read.

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Connor's book proved to be incredibly interesting and sound so realistic that for the hundredth time, Connor wondered if Merlin had really existed. He was immersed in his book when his father pulled the sheet and walked into the room followed by his mother ten days later.

"Son, we have a visitor for you," he said with a smile.

His parents stepped aside to reveal the young man with unruly black hair and small round glasses he had seen in his dream the night of his birthday. At the sight of him, Connor smiled in exhilaration and pure happiness.

"Hi," said the young man. "My name is Harry Potter..."

"You're real!" exclaimed Connor, standing up. "You're really real!"

"Yes," answered Harry puzzled by Connor's reaction.

"Does that mean the castle across the lake is also real? And the tables with all the food? And the giant? And the dwarf? And the lady with the pointed hat?" asked Connor rapidly in his excitement.

"Yes, Connor, they're real," answered Harry with a smile.

"I knew it!" he exclaimed. "Mum, dad, I really want to go. Please?" he asked, turning towards his parents.

Not knowing what his dream had represented and where the castle was didn't seem important to Connor. What was important to him was the fact he had loved being there and in his dream, he had been genuinely happy.

"Yes, Connor," said his dad with a smile. "You may go."

"Here," said Harry, taking an envelope from his jacket pocket. "This is your official invitation."

Connor could not believe this. He would go to the wonderful and magical place where he had felt so welcomed, where he had felt like he belonged.

He took the letter offered to him, sat on his bed and opened it. He looked up at his parents and began to read it out loud.

_ Dear Mr McKeithan,_

_ We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry..._

A school? The wonderful place was a school? A school of magic?

Connor looked up at Harry in surprise.

"So what I saw is a school?" he asked. "Am I – am I a wizard?"

He hoped against hope Harry Potter would answer yes. If he was a wizard, it would explain so many strange things.

"Yes, Connor, it's a school and yes, you are a wizard."

"Are you a wizard, too?"

"Yes, I am."

"Cool!" said Connor.

Connor hesitated a moment before returning to his letter. He wanted very much to see how a wizard did magic but at the same time, he was curious to see what else his letter said. Looking down at it, he continued to read.

_... Please find enclosed a list of all the necessary books and equipment required for the school year. Should you wish to attend Hogwarts, a member of our faculty will assist you with the necessary purchases, and with the boarding of our train which departs from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters of King's Cross Station at 11am on September 1._

_ We hope to see you at Hogwarts this year._

_ Minerva McGonagall, Headmistress._

"Platform nine and three-quarters?" he asked, looking at Harry intrigued.

"Yes, there is such a thing," confirmed Harry with a chuckle.

Connor pulled out the list of equipment and looked at it. To his surprise he did not recognised half of the equipment, or at least, had not known if they really existed.

"A cat?!" he exclaimed when he saw the list of pets he could bring. "I can bring Milord," he asked Harry, looking at him hopefully.

Upon hearing his name, Milord ran into the room and jumped on the bed. He looked up at Harry as if challenging him to deny his right to go to Hogwarts with Connor.

"Yes," answered Harry with a smile. "You can bring Milord."

"And what about Milady?" asked Connor, thinking about his soft-natured feline companion. "The letter says only one..."

Milady ran into the room and jumped on the bed also. She gently bumped her head against Connor's arm, begging for him to pet her.

"We will see what we can do about bringing Milady also," reassured Harry.

"Mum, can we go shopping today?" asked Connor excited, distractingly petting Milady.

His parents looked at one another and Connor's heart fell. Connor remembered how poor they were and wondered how his parents would ever be able to afford anything on this list, let alone the school fees.

"Mr, Mrs McKeithan, I've been assigned to assist you with the shopping. Since these things are not found in typical shops, I'm available to go with you any time you wish to go. If you can't go, I can take Connor sometime this week," offered Harry.

"Well, Mary," said Connor's father. "As I can barely walk and see, why don't you go with Connor and the Professor today?" he suggested.

Professor? wondered Connor. He hadn't though Harry could be a Professor.

"That would give you a nice break and make Connor happy," continued his dad.

"But the cleaning?" protested his mum.

"You work six days a week, you deserve a break," said his dad gently.

"Maybe I can assist you there," offered Professor Potter. "Well, not me exactly," he clarified. "My servants."

"You're doing enough for us as it is, young man," said Connor's father.

"It's nothing, really," reassured the Professor.

"You go get ready now," said Connor's dad, turning towards him and his mum. "Let's not keep Professor Potter waiting."

"I'll go change," said his mum before walking out of the room.

"I'll get my shoes," said Connor, walking to his closet.

Connor was opening his closet when his father left with Professor Potter. As Connor looked at the pile of very worn clothes, reality began to sink in. They were poor, very poor. How would his parents ever be able to pay for this school, however wonderful it was, and the supplies and uniform?

Sadly, Connor took his shoes, and put them on before going to his parent's bedroom. Gently, he knocked on the door.

"Yes?" answered his mum.

"Mum, can I come in?"

"Sure, sweetheart."

Connor opened the door and Milord and Milady ran into the room in front of him.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" asked his mum when she saw his sad expression.

"Mum, I don't need to go to that school," he said, looking at the ground.

"Why?" she asked surprised. "It seemed to make you so happy earlier. What changed?"

"We... we cannot afford it," he said quietly.

"Oh, Connor!" said his mum, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Do not worry about it..."

"But mum, you work enough as it is," he interrupted, looking up at his mum.

"Don't worry about it, Connor," she repeated gently, squeezing his shoulder. "Professor Potter told us the school is free and there are funds available for your supplies and uniform."

"Really?" asked Connor, the news lighting up his face.

"Yes, Connor, really," said his mum with a reassuring smile. "Ready to go now?" she asked as they could hear someone run up the stairs.

"Yeah," he answered with a grin.

"Now, let me finish getting ready, would you, love?" she dismissed him gently.

Connor turned around and saw Professor Potter walk to his bedroom. He walked out of his parents' bedroom just in time to see the Professor remove a wooden stick from his pocket and say a word Connor did not really understand. A few moments later, the hole in the wall was replaced by a door.

"Wow!" exclaimed Connor amazed. "Will I be able to do _that _one day?" he asked.

"Oh, yes!" answered the Professor with a chuckle. "I would not be surprised if you became one of the best transfiguration students at Hogwarts."

Connor had read about transfiguration in his Merlin book and wondered again if Merlin was real. Before he had the chance to ask, Professor Potter went back downstairs. Connor went to his room for a cardigan, and waited for his mum in the hallway. A few minutes later, they walked down the stairs and joined his dad and Professor Potter in the living room.

"Love, will you be okay?" asked his mum to his dad worriedly.

"Yes, Mary. Don't worry," he answered with a smile. "Now go and enjoy yourself," he added.

They followed the Professor out the door and took a taxi to the central parts of London. The ride through London was surprisingly quiet even if it was Connor's first time taking a taxi. He was sitting next to his mum in the back of the car and was looking out the window at the passers-by and the buildings. Connor did not remember having been in this part of town which was full of shops and restaurants. A few minutes later, they came to a stop in front of a big book shop. They exited the taxi and Harry paid the driver.

"Follow me," he said, motioning for Connor and his mother to follow.

The Professor walked away from the book shop entrance and towards its next door neighbour. He then stopped where the two shops seemed to join.

"Here we are," said Professor Potter, pointing at the wall. "The Leaky Cauldron."

As he said it, Connor saw a door to a shabby looking pub on the wall between the two big stores. He gasped in surprise, certain the door had not been there a moment before. Professor Potter was opening the pub door when Connor turned to his mum. She was looking at the pub with a raised eyebrow.

"Mum, did you see that? The door wasn't there!" he exclaimed, still wide eyes.

"Professor Potter, are we at the right place?" she asked, uncertain of the appearance of the location.

"Oh, yes," answered Harry with a reassuring smile. "It looks worse than it is so Muggles would not attract to it," explained Harry.

"Muggles?" asked Connor.

"Yes," said Harry. "That's how we call non-magical people."

Connor took his mum's hand and walked into the pub, followed by the Professor. The inside was very dark and shabby. As his eyes got use to the darkness, Connor followed Harry towards the bar.

"Hi, Harry'" said the blonde waitress behind the counter with a warm smile. "Who have you got here?" she asked, looking down at Connor.

"A new student," he answered. "Hannah, this is Connor and his mum, Mrs McKeithan," introduced Harry. "Mrs McKeithan, Connor, this is Hannah Abbott. She went to school with me."

"Hi," said Connor shyly, giving her a little wave.

"Nice to meet you," said Mrs McKeithan with a genuine smile.

"Same here," said Hannah warmly. "Harry, I saw Hermione and Professor McGonagall walk this way with new students earlier," she said. "And I think quite a few others are expected as well. From what I heard, there are a lot of Muggle-born students this year. I wonder why. I know Neville will be meeting with one tomorrow… Anyway, I won't hold you any longer," she continued. "I know you have a lot to do."

"Thanks, Hannah," said Harry before walking through the pub and out into a small walled courtyard which seemed to be a place for the trash.

The Professor took his wand from his pocket and tapped the wall a few times. To Connor's surprise, the tapped bricks moved aside, followed by others, creating an increasingly big hole until an archway appeared in the wall. Beyond the archway, Connor could see a cobbled street which twisted and turned out of sight and with shops and restaurants on both sides.

"Wow!" said Connor. "What is this place?"

"That, Connor, is Diagon Alley. Wizards all over Britain come here for their magical supplies and other needs."

"Are there a lot of wizards in England?" asked Mrs McKeithan, still looking at the street in awe.

"I do not know," answered Harry. "But I would think quite a few."

Connor looked at the closest shop which displayed an assortment of cauldrons of all sizes.

"Mum, look," he said, gaining her attention and walking towards the cauldron display. "They look exactly like the ones in the wizard books you use to read me when I was little. I never thought I would see real ones," he added.

"Me neither, my love," she said as amazed as Connor.

"Our first stop has to be the bank," said the Professor. "Let's move on if we want to have time to buy everything."

As they walked down the streets, Connor, holding onto his mother's hand tightly, looked right and left in surprise and amazement. Never before had he seen this wonderful place in his dreams and he wondered why. He was amazed as much by the shops as by the people. He had the impression he had walked directly into a fairy tale where everybody was wearing a costume, mostly robes. Only Professor Potter looked normal.

"Look Connor," said Mrs McKeithan, bringing his attention back to the shop. "Look how beautiful these dresses are," she added, walking towards the window of a pricy looking clothes shop.

Connor read the sign on the shop: Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"This one looks like the druid dress from your story book," she added, pointing at a forest green dress with cream lining.

"Mum, look at this one!" said Connor, pointing to a royal blue one. "It looks like Sleeping Beauty's dress."

"Yes, it does!" she agreed.

"Connor!" called Professor Potter. "Would you come here for a moment? There's somebody I want you to meet."

Connor looked up to see Professor Potter speaking with a woman about his age, who was holding the hand of a young girl Connor recognized from his dream. Behind them stood two adults who looked like they would have preferred to be anywhere but here. Connor let go of his mother's hand and ran to Professor Potter.

"Connor, I would like you to meet Professor Granger," introduced Professor Potter. "Professor, this is Connor McKeithan."

"Nice to meet you, Connor," she said, shaking his hand. "And this is Guinevere Boxley. Guinevere, I would like you to meet Professor Potter."

"Hi!" said Professor Potter, shaking the hand of the shy girl.

Connor thought she looked sad and he wondered why. This place was so wonderful, he wondered how somebody could be unhappy while they were here. He looked back at Professor Granger and realised the brushy brunette had been in his dream, too.

"Professor?" he asked, pulling on Harry's shirt to gain his attention. "She was in my dream too," he said, keeping his eyes on Professor Granger. "She was sitting next to you."

"Yes, Connor," confirmed Professor Potter. "She most probably was."

"Dream?" asked Professor Granger intrigued.

"Yes," said Professor Potter simply. "Seer," he added.

Seer? wondered Connor.

According to his Merlin book, Seers were people who could see the future and they were extremely rare. Connor wondered why the Professor would refer to him as a Seer.

He would have asked him but suddenly realised he hadn't seen his mum for a few moments. As he looked around for her, he saw a fair amount of people were staring and pointing at them.

"Professor Potter, why is everybody looking and pointing at us?" he asked worried, once he had spotted his mother walking towards them.

"That's because Harry is very popular in the wizarding world," answered Professor Granger with a smile. "He's a hero of sorts."

"A hero?" asked Connor, fascinated.

He looked up at Professor Potter who was grinning at his friend.

"Yes," answered Professor Granger in a scholarly tone. "A bit like Superman, but with no super powers."

"Really?!" said Connor.

He couldn't believe his ears. He was being shown around by a superhero.

"Yes," confirmed Professor Granger. "You'll learn all about it in due time.

"We're going to Gringotts," she said, turning to Professor Potter. "Want to join us?"

"Yes, sure," answered Professor Potter.

Once he was sure Connor's mother was with them, Professor Potter took Connor by the hand and they began walking down the street. Connor glanced back at his mum who was following behind with Guinevere's parents.

"Isn't this place completely wonderful?" she asked them with merriment and joy in her eyes. "I'm so glad Connor will be part of such a wonderful world. I feel like a child all over again, witnessing all these wonders."

Connor grinned at his mum and she winked at him. Next to her, Mr and Mrs Boxley looked weary and somewhat pale, as if they were sick. If he didn't know any better, Connor would have thought they looked positively terrified.

A few moments later, they stopped in front of a huge white building which dwarfed all the others surrounding it. Its enormous doors were a tarnished bronze and, next to them stood a little being wearing a gold and scarlet uniform.

"We'll stay out here," suddenly said his mum, intruding on his inspection of the building. "There is so much to see!"

Connor was disappointed she wouldn't come and discover this new marvel with him but his disappointment was short live as Professor Potter was pulling him into the bank. They passed by the little creature at the door who was looking at them suspiciously. They then passed a pair of silver doors flanked by two other little beings who bowed to them while they walked by. Connor was about to ask what the creatures were but Professor Granger spoke before him.

"Mrs McKeithan is charming," she said once they were inside.

"Yes, very," answered Professor Potter with a smile.

Connor looked up at Professor Potter and smiled proudly.

"I think we have to split here," continued the Professor.

"Yes," answered Professor Granger. "We could meet again at the Unicorn for lunch. Let's say at noon?"

"Brilliant!" answered Professor Potter enthusiastically. "We'll see you then."

Professor Potter turned to the right and they walked further into the great marble hall of the bank to an elevated information counter from which another small being, very similar to the ones at the door and throughout the bank, looked down at them.

"Mr Potter," said the being in a raspy high pitch voice. "What will it be today?"

Connor stared at the little creature for a moment, surprised it could talk, but at the same time wondering why he should have been surprised by it.

Professor Potter took a letter from his inside pocket and gave it to the being.

"Ah, yes!" it said. "One moment please."

The creature disappeared behind the counter and reappeared a moment later with a pouch which made a giggling sound.

"We had those ready at the request of the school," it explained with somewhat of a grin which showed all his little pointed teeth.

He gave the pouch to Professor Potter.

"Sign here, please," it ordered, showing a line on a piece of paper to the Professor.

The Professor took the time to read the document before signing it. After thanking the being, Professor Potter walked towards the exit, Connor in tow.

"Professor, what was he?" finally asked Connor, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"A goblin," answered Professor Potter. "They're not particularly friendly but they are very clever, and very good with money," he explained. "Their bank is also very secured. In recorded history, they only had two break-ins. However, Goblins do learn from their mistakes and I seriously doubt anybody will ever be able to break in again."

"Wow!" breathed Connor, amazed at the thought of an unbreakable bank.

As they walked out of the bank, Mrs McKeithan joined them, leaving Guinevere's parents to wait for their daughter and Professor Granger.

"That poor little girl," said Connor's mum sadly. "Her parents don't seem to care about her at all. I think they're afraid of her," she added, taking Connor against her side and hugging him. "She's been sent away to boarding schools since she was five. Goes to show money isn't everything," she added shaking her head sadly.

"They don't accept that she's like me?" asked Connor, looking up at his mum.

"No, sweetheart, they don't accept it at all," she answered, caressing his cheek and looking at him with love in her eyes. "They both think this place is not real," she said, looking around with a sad sigh. "Unbelievable! They don't believe what they see with their own eyes!"

His mum looked at him fondly before letting go of him. He looked around with anticipation and she nodded her permission for him to run ahead and go look through the shop windows some more. Connor ran to a pet shop and looked at the different animals on display.

"Do you want to go buy some supplies?" asked Professor Potter as he and his mum reached him.

With a smile, Connor took his list out.

"Uniform," he started, figuring it was probably one of the most important things. "I need three sets of plain work robes, one pair of protective gloves, dragon hide or similar... Professor, dragons exist?" he asked, looking up at the Professor.

"Oh yes! They do!" answered the Professor, punctuating his reply with a firm nod.

"Cool! Will I get to see one?"

"Maybe," answered the professor with a chuckle. "But not today."

Connor had the impression there was a really good story there but he figured he would have other times to find out. They were here for shopping after all.

"Then I need one winter cloak with black or silver fastening," continued Connor, returning to his list. "Then there's a list of books."

"Well, let's begin by the uniforms," suggested Professor Potter.

Professor Potter took them to a small second-hand shop towards the end of the Alley. Mrs McKeithan, being totally in her element, began to look through the uniform stand. In short order, she chose garments which actually looked new.

"You've never had anything so fine!" she said proudly.

Professor Potter paid for the purchase and directed them towards the book shop. Again, his mum was able to locate gently used books and Professor Potter paid for the purchase.

"I'll be a moment more, if you don't mind, Professor," said Mrs McKeithan, looking at the story books.

Professor Potter and Connor walked outside to wait on his mum.

"Professor?" asked Connor, once they were alone. "If we have money left after we get everything I need, will we be able to buy a dress for my mum? There was one in the shop earlier that she really fancied."

"We'll see how much is left," answered the Professor, putting a hand on Connor's shoulder. "Time to get lunch now. Maybe you should go get your mum."

Connor ran back into the shop and found his mum towards the back. She was looking at a book with a small smile on her face, touching the pages lovingly with the tip of her fingers. She looked so happy Connor hated to interrupt her but Professor Potter was waiting for them.

"Mum," he said gently.

She looked up and smiled at him.

"Come here," she invited him, extending her arm. "Look at this, Connor. The pictures move," she said, showing him the beautifully drawn pictures from the book she was holding.

"Mum," said Connor surprised. "These drawings, they looked exactly like the ones in the Merlin book you gave me."

"They do look similar, don't they?" she said.

With a sigh, she slowly closed the book and put it back on the shelf. Connor glimpsed at the title and the author, and frowned when he realized the book was on King Arthur and the author of the book was the same as his.

"Is Professor Potter waiting for us?" asked him mum, interrupting his train of thoughts.  
"Yes," he answered. "It's time for lunch."

A few moments later, they joined the Professor who was in conversation with an older lady.

"Connor, Mrs McKeithan, I would like you to meet Professor McGonagall, Hogwarts Headmistress," introduced Professor Potter.

"Good morning, Mr McKeithan, Mrs McKeithan," she said, offering her hand.

As they shock hands, Connor took a good look at her and his eyes widened in surprise.

"You were in my dream, too!" he exclaimed before he could stop himself. "You were wearing a pointed hat!"

A flash of surprise crossed the older lady's face before her expression changed back to neutral.

"Connor, mind your manners, my love," reminded his mother gently, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"Yes, Connor," said Professor Potter with a chuckle. "Professor McGonagall was probably in your dream, too."

"Nice to meet you, Headmistress," said Connor with a genuine smile.

The Headmistress gave him a shadowy smile and turned to Professor Potter.

"Dreams?" she asked. "Visions?"

"I think so," answered Professor Potter with a smile, "and already very powerful at Transfiguration."

Connor did not quite follow the exchange but when he saw another shadow of a smile appeared on the stern Headmistress face, he figured it was good. Regaining her regal composure, the Headmistress turned to him.

"I heard, young man, that you have two cats," she said.

"Well," he began, looking at the ground. "They are not mine, really. I think they just choose to be my friends because I was lonely. They just sort of decided to stay with us."

"Well, Mr McKeithan, you may bring them both to school," said the Headmistress. "If you did leave either one behind, I would not be surprised if it were to find its way to school and show up on our doorsteps one morning. Might as well spare them both the trouble."

Upon hearing the wonderful news, Connor looked up with a radiant smile.

"Thank you, Headmistress," he said, sincerely.

"Time for me to return to my own charge," she said. "Seems like we have more Muggle-borns than usual this year," she added before she walked away.

"What are Muggle-born, Professor?" asked Connor

"A witch or a wizard whose parents are not wizards."

"Like me?" asked Connor.

"Yes, like you," answered Professor Potter, ruffling Connor's hair.

"Were your parents wizards?"

"Yes."

"So what was it like to grow up with wizard parents?" asked Connor curious of what type of wonders kids from wizard families may have grown up with.

"I didn't grow up in the wizarding world," said the Professor, starting to walk towards the restaurant. "My parents died when I was a baby, and I was raised by my aunt and uncle. They are Muggles, you see."

Connor wondered if, in order to be a powerful wizard, you needed wizard parents. Professor Potter was a hero and he had wizard parents. And after all, when he made orange juice, it was always stronger the more you put oranges in it, reasoned Connor, so maybe the more wizarding blood you had in you, the more powerful you were. He also wondered if being Muggle-born did not make him some sort of a freak among wizard especially since two witches had already provided comments on Muggle-born while he was yet to hear any on Wizard-born. Connor was about to conclude that again, he was a lesser person when Professor Potter intruded on his thoughts.

"Professor Granger's parents are Muggles," he simply said, as if he had followed his train of thoughts.

"They are?" asked Connor hopeful that while his theory made sense, it was all wrong.

"Yes," answered Professor Potter. "And she's a very, very powerful witch, probably the most powerful of my age, actually."

His theory was wrong! Powerful wizards could have normal parents! He was not a lesser person! As he realised all this, Connor's face illuminated with joy.

"Did you think Muggle-born wizards were less powerful?" asked Professor Potter with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, sort of, Professor," answered Connor, looking at the ground. "It sort of made sense, really."

The Professor stopped walking and leaned down to look in Connor's eyes.

"Connor, listen to me very carefully," he said gently but seriously. "There are people in the wizarding world who do not like Muggle born. They think they are inferiors and should not be allowed to do magic. But it's not true! You are born a wizard or you are not. What makes a wizard powerful is not where he comes from but his own skills and knowledge. Professor Granger there," he said, pointing towards the restaurant with his head, "she's the best at all but one of the subjects we studied. And she's very, very intelligent and clever.

"So I want you to promise me one thing: if somebody ever tells you that you're not good, or if they call you 'Mudblood', I want you to keep your head very high and know in your heart that you're better than them for not judging people the way they do. Will you promise me that?"

Connor hesitated a moment before nodding.

"Good! Let's get some food now, shall we?" said the Professor with a smile.


	3. Chapter 2 - New Friends

Chapter 2 – New Friends

When they arrived at the Unicorn, Professor Granger was already seated at a table with the Boxleys and they were looking at the menu. Guinevere was separated for her parents by Professor Granger and seemed relieved by the seating arrangement.

Connor looked at the sad girl, then up at his mother who smiled at him and nodded. With this unspoken permission, he went to sit next to her hoping they could become friends.

"Hello," said Connor, taking his seat.

She looked up at him and looked back down on the menu without answering.

After the food was served, Connor, trying to find a safe subject of conversation, looked around for inspiration and saw the shopping bags between Guinevere and Professor Granger's chair. Next to the bags was also a small cage with a black owl in it.

"You've got an owl!" he said excited.

Guinevere looked at her parents nervously and when she saw them talking with Mrs McKeithan and the Professors, she looked at Connor with a grin.

"Yeah," she answered quietly. "Professor Granger is the one who got her for me."

Connor wondered why she was talking so quietly but when he saw her glance at her parents again, he figured she didn't want them to hear, or maybe she didn't want them to know she was making a friend. He wondered what was the story there but he knew better than to inquire.

"How did it happen?" he asked, also quietly.

"They didn't want to get me one," answered Guinevere. "They said the letter said 'may' and not 'shall' but Professor Granger would have none of it. She told them it was time they thought about me, and they were getting me one," explained Guinevere before stopping and furtively taking another look at her parents.

"Don't worry," said Professor Granger, catching her furtive looks. "They cannot understand you. I've casted a spell on them and if they try to listen to you, they will only hear gibberish," she added with a wink.

Guinevere looked up at her with a wide smile, the type of smile Connor generally reserved for his mum.

"Thank you, Professor," she said.

"You're quite welcome," said Professor Granger before returning to the adult conservation.

"So," asked Connor. "What happened next?"

"Well, Professor Granger asked me what I wanted and took us to the owl shop."

Guinevere leaned down, took the owl cage from the ground and put it on her lap. The owl which had at first looked black, was in fact a dark shade of grey. She also had big yellow eyes and was about ten inches tall.

"Wow!" said Connor. "She's very beautiful. What's her name?"

"I haven't decided yet but I'm thinking Moonlight."

The little owl hooted softly.

"I think she likes it," said Guinevere with a smile.

She petted the little owl on the neck and put the cage back down on the ground.

"I'm glad Professor Granger insisted on getting me my owl... and it was fun having somebody tell my parents 'no' for a change. They don't get that very often.

"Are you getting a pet?" she asked Connor.

"No," said Connor with a smile. "I already have them."

"Them?" asked Guinevere. "More than one?"

"Yes, I have two cats," answered Connor. "I was worried I would have to choose which one to bring but the Headmistress told me I could take them both."

"You met the Headmistress?"

"Yes, earlier today. She was here shopping with another Muggle-born. You know what those are, don't you?"

"Yes, Professor Granger told me earlier," answered Guinevere, smiling again. "Did you get anything this morning?"

"Yes. My uniforms and my books," answered Connor. "And you?"

"My owl of course, and my uniform," she answered.

Throughout lunch, they discussed the wonders they had seen until Professor Granger told them it was time to leave.

"I'll see you at school, then," said Connor as he was getting ready to leave.

"Okay," she simply said and left with Professor Granger and her parents.

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Professor Potter took them next to the wand maker, Ollivander.

"For this," began the Professor, giving Connor twelve coins which looked like gold coins, "you'd better go in by yourself."

"Why?" asked Connor, looking worriedly at his mum.

"You'll see," said Professor Potter with a reassuring smile.

Connor gave a last look at his mum who nodded encouragingly, and opened the door to the shop. He walked in and the door closed itself with a little jingle of bells. The shop was very narrow and shabby. The walls were covered with shelves which contained stacks of narrow rectangle boxes. Connor heard some footsteps and looked through the doorway behind the counter. A few seconds later, an old man walked to the front of the shop and smiled at him. The old man looked a moment outside, waved at Professor Potter, and turned his attention back to Connor.

"And who might you be, young man?" he asked in a nasal voice, looking at Connor with unblinking eyes.

"Eh... Connor Avery McKeithan, sir," answered Connor intimidated.

The old man unblinking eyes made Connor uncomfortable but he reminded himself that Professor Potter would not have sent him alone in a dangerous place. Besides, he and his mum were outside and could see what was going on through the windows.

"Muggle-born, aren't you?" asked the old man.

"Yes," answered Connor.

"Well, welcome to our world, young Mr McKeithan. I'm Ollivander," he said with a warm smile. "How have you enjoyed Diagon Alley so far?"

"It's wonderful, sir," answered Connor enthusiastically.

"And now is time for you to get a wand," said the old man, taking a long measuring tape with silver markings from his pocket. "But first, let me ask you: which is your wand hand?"

"My wand hand, sir?" asked Connor not sure what he meant.

"Yes, which hand do you write with?"

Connor raised his left hand.

"Good! Hold out your arm," he ordered.

Connor did as he was told and Ollivander measured him from his shoulder to his fingertips, then wrist to elbow, then shoulder to floor, and other distances, including around his head.

"Every wand is composed of wood and a core of powerful magical substance," he explained as he measured. "Ollivander's wands have a core made of unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, or dragon heartstrings. I have experimented with other cores but have not obtained satisfactory results yet.

"No two Ollivander wands are the same," he continued to explain. "Just as no two unicorns, dragons or phoenixes are the same."

He finished his measurements and pocketed the tape.

"Now, the wizard does not choose the wand," he continued, walking to a stack of box to Connor's right. "The wand chooses the wizard. That is why you will never get as good a result with another's wand as with your own."

Mr Ollivander picked a box and pulled it slowly from the stack. The box was long, about twelve inches. Ollivander opened it and presented it to Connor. Inside was a light brown wand of about ten inches.

"Take it and give it a wave, Mr McKeithan."

Connor picked it up and gave it a swing. Boxes flew of the shelves on the right of the shop. With wide eyes, Connor looked at the damage and then the wand.

"Sorry," muttered Connor.

"No," said Mr Ollivander, lost in his thoughts and not even acknowledging the mess. "That will not do."

Ollivander presented the empty box to Connor who quickly put the wand back inside.

About fifteen minutes later, Connor had tried so many wands that he wondered when it would be over. On the counter, boxes of discarded wands were piling up but the old man seemed to become happier the more wands he tried.

"The only other student in recent years who was as challenging as you, Mr McKeithan, was Mr Potter," he said with a grin. "But I think we are getting close."

A few wands later, Connor picked one which gave him a warm feeling in his fingers. When he waved it, blue and red sparkles appeared at its tip.

"Voilà!" said Ollivander. "The perfect match!"

"What is it made of?" asked Connor, looking at the rich warm brown wand.

"Oak and unicorn hair, Mr McKeithan," he said, punching the purchase on his old register.

At the ring of the register, Connor put his wand back in the box and paid the indicated amount.

"Your wand is most unusual," he said as they walked to the front door.

"Why, sir?"

"Come," said Ollivander, opening the door. "Let me explain it to Mr Potter also."

Connor walked out of the shop followed by Ollivander.

"Most unusual," said Ollivander to Professor Potter, shaking his hand warmly, "probably as unusual as yours, Mr Potter. Oak, twelve and a quarter inches, unicorn hair. The combination is not in itself odd, however this wood comes from the Angel Oak. It's a very old tree in America. This piece of wood was given to me by an American wand maker when she visited last year. She had obtained it from some of the branches that were broken during one of their hurricanes. This oak is said to be one of the oldest living trees in the southeast United States. I was able to make very few wands with its wood as I had such a small quantity.

"But even more unusual than this very unusual tree is the core. The unicorn who gave me this hair only gave one before dying of old age. So this wand will never have a brother.

"I think, Mr Potter, we can expect great wisdom from this young man, very great wisdom indeed."

Connor did not really see how he could be wise but he figured he would find out soon enough. He looked up at his mum and she smiled at him.

"You did quite a mess in there," she said with amusement in her eyes. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah but I feel sorry for Mr Ollivander," said Connor. "It's going to take him ages to clean it all up."

"Not if he used magic, my love," said his mum.

Connor's face lit up at the idea.

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They had just bought the needed cauldron when they walked in front of a window which displayed a broomstick. A few other kids were standing in front of the window, pointing at it and speaking in awe.

"What is that?" asked Connor, walking to the window.

"That's a broomstick," answered Professor Potter, as the other kids left to join their parents.

Connor thought the answer was quite obvious, and wondered if the Professor was making fun of him. Behind the broomstick was a moving picture of a young woman sitting across a broom, her long red hair flying in the air behind her, and a strange ball in her hands.

"Professor, what's the lady in the picture doing? Is she flying the broomstick?" he asked, expecting Professor Potter to laugh at the ludicrous idea.

"Yes," answered the Professor to Connor's surprise. "Brooms are actually a very nice way to travel."

Connor looked up at the Professor and, seeing he was not making fun of him, said "Wow!" He turned back to the picture and looked at it some more.

"Professor, who is she? And what is she holding?" he asked.

"That's Ginny Weasley," answered the Professor with a smile. "She's a Quidditch player and, in this picture, she's holding a Quaffle."

"What's Quidditch?"

The Professor explained to him the basic of the sport but Connor found it rather confusing and thought he may have to see a game to better understand the rules.

"Is she any good?" asked Connor, pointing at the picture.

"Oh, yes!" answered the Professor with a peculiar smile, the type of smile his dad reserved for his mum. "One of the best Chasers there is," he added.

"Do you know her?"

"Of course I do," said Professor Potter proudly. "She's my girlfriend!"

"Your girlfriend?!" exclaimed Connor.

"And good thing you boys aren't saying anything bad about her since I'm standing right behind you!"

Connor and Professor Potter jumped, startled. They turned around and saw Miss Weasley standing right behind them. She was grinning as if she had successfully delivered an amusing joke.

Professor Potter took her hand and kissed her on the temple while Connor stared at them open mouthed. The Professor had a girlfriend? This had never occurred to Connor.

"The game was short," stated Professor Potter, smiling at her warmly.

"Yes," she answered, returning his smile. "We caught the snitch forty minutes into it."

Miss Weasley leaned down to be eye-to-eye with Connor.

"And you must be Connor," she said, offering him her hand. "I'm Ginny, Harry's girlfriend."

"Yes, I'm Connor," he confirmed, shaking her hand.

He looked up and saw his mum approached them.

"And this is my mum," he said, pointing at her. "Mum! Mum!" he called his mother. "This is Ginny, Professor Potter's girlfriend."

"Oh! Hi!" said his mum, shaking Miss Weasley's hand. "I'm Mary," she introduced herself. "You have a fine young man here."

Miss Weasley looked at the Professor who, to Connor's surprise, was blushing.

"I know!" she said with a smile.

"Mum! Mum! Can we invite them for dinner tonight?" asked Connor who really wanted to know more about the Professor's girlfriend.

"Please, come," said his mum. "You made us so happy today. It's the least we can do. And I am sure Paul would want to have your company also."

The Professor and Miss Weasley looked at one another for a moment and Miss Weasley nodded to him.

"Then it will be our pleasure," said Professor Potter. "Let's get the rest of your supplies, Connor, and then we can stop by Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," he continued, looking at Connor. "I know you'll love it there."

Once they were done buying the rest of the school supplies, Miss Weasley took them to the stationary shop.

"Miss Weasley, what do I need in here?" asked Connor intrigued.

"Oh, you can call me Ginny," she said with a warm smile. "We're here to get you parchment and quills. I know it is not on your list but you will need them," she explained. "While Muggles use paper and pens, we use parchment and quills. All of your homework will need to be done on parchment," she continued, picking a big roll of parchment from a shelf. "And of course, you'll need something to write to your mum with," she said, picking five quills from a display. "Now, what colour of ink should we pick for you?"

"I like blue," said Connor. "But Ginny, I never wrote with those before."

"Oh! That's okay," she said, picking ten jars of ink. "I'll show you how to use the quills and wash them tonight."

On their way back towards the second-hand robe shop, they stopped by the menagerie to get treats for his cats.

"My cats, they'll like those?" he asked Ginny.

"Of course they will," she confirmed. "You'll see."

Once at the second-hand robe shop, they bought the dress for his mum and spent the reminder of the money on Muggle clothes for Connor. He was very happy about the clothes since even if they were second-hand, they looked in better condition than what he already had.

It was past mid-afternoon when they finally made their way to the most impressive shop Connor had seen on the street. The windows were dazzlingly, full of all sorts of goods that revolved, popped, flashed, bounced, and made all manners of noise. The colours were an assault to the eyes and the noise an assault to the ears. On top of the door stood a huge man's torso and head, and the man was removing his hat in greeting and putting it back on. Every other time he would pull off his hat, a bunny would appear.

"Wow!" said Connor. "What is this place?"

"It's a joke shop," answered Ginny. "It's owned by my brothers."

She fished in her pocket and removed a few coins.

"Here," she said, giving them to Connor. "You'll be able to buy something. However, I would recommend you stay away from anything that can make you sick."

"Eh... Ginny?" said Connor tentatively, looking at the coins in his hand. "How much money do I really have here?"

"What?" she said surprised. "Harry did not explain to you our money?"

Connor shook his head.

"Here, it's not very complicated. The gold one is a galleon. It is our highest unit of currency. The silver ones are sickles. You need seventeen sickles to make a galleon."

Connor nodded his understanding

"The little bronze ones are knuts," continued Ginny. "You need twenty nine knuts to make a sickle. Got it?"

"Yeah, I think," said Connor. "But why not make it simpler like ten sickles for a galleon and ten knuts for a sickle?"

"I don't know if it would be easier," said Ginny. "But again, I never knew of another system," she added with a shrugged. "Now go, have fun!"

Connor ran into the shop and soon was lost in the thousands of products on display. He wondered how the owners could keep track of all the different types of merchandise they were offering, never mind the quantity of each. He was looking at coloured stones with different properties when he saw him: the boy from his dream, the one he was to be friends with.

Purposefully, Connor walked to the youth and stopped next to him.

"Hi!" he said. "I'm Connor McKeithan. I'll be attending Hogwarts this year."

The youth looked up at him and smiled.

"Hi!" he said. "I'm Gregorius MacMillan, but everybody calls me Gregory, and I'll also go to Hogwarts."

The two shocked hands.

"Gregory, do you know any of this stuff?" asked Connor, indicating the shelves. "It's my first time here and I don't know what to get."

"Really?!" asked Gregory. "You've never been here before?"

"No," answered Connor. "My parents are Muggles, you see. I didn't know I was a wizard until I received my letter this morning."

"Really?" asked Gregory impressed. "You'll have to tell me all about it! I've never been to a muggle house before. Both my parents are wizards. I heard you turn the light on with a switch."

"Well yeah," answered Connor. "And I've never been to a wizard house before. You'll have to tell me all about that. If you don't have a switch, how do you turn your lights on?"

"In my house, we only say 'light'," answered Gregory. "In other houses, it can be something else. It really depends on the wizard preferences. But wait a minute, if you are muggle-born, how did you get to Diagon Alley? You need a wizard to be able to find the Leaky Cauldron."

"Oh, yes, we have a Professor here with us to help us," answered Connor. "Come, let me introduce you."

"Okay, but let me tell my mother first. I don't think she would like losing me in this shop."

After introducing Connor to Gregory's mother, Connor went looking for Professor Potter. He found him a few minutes later discussing with Ginny.

"Professor Potter!" he called excitedly. "This is Gregory MacMillan. He will be going to Hogwarts, too!"

"Harry Potter!" said Gregory in awe. "You know Harry Potter?" he asked, turning to Connor.

"Yeah!" answered Connor surprised of Gregory's reaction. "He's been helping me with my shopping all day."

"MacMillan?" asked Professor Potter to the still-surprised youth. "Are you related to Ernie?"

"He's – he's my brother, sir!" answered Gregory, still very much intimidated.

"I didn't know Ernie had a little brother," said Ginny.

"Would you say 'hi' for me?" asked Professor Potter to Gregory.

"There you are!" exclaimed Mrs McKeithan, joining them. "Oh! Hi there!" she said to Gregory when she saw him.

"Mum, this is Gregory MacMillan," introduced Connor. "He'll be going to Hogwarts, too."

"Oh! Nice to meet you," said Connor's mum with a charming smile. "Connor, sweetheart, we have to go soon so I have time to prepare dinner."

"Oh! Mum! Five more minutes, okay?" pleaded Connor.

"Okay," she answered with a radiant smile.

Connor left with Gregory in tow.

"So, what should I get?" asked Connor once they were out of earshot.

"How much do you have?"

Connor fished in his pocket and showed Gregory the coins Ginny had given him. Gregory looked at his opened hand and grinned at Connor.

"I know exactly what you should get," he said. "Come."

An hour later, a taxi dropped them at Connor's house. Connor was anxious to tell his father all the wonders he had seen and the closer they had got to the house, the less he could sit still. When the taxi door opened, Connor rushed out and waited by the front door for his mother to unlock it, shuffling from one foot to the next.

"Mrs McKeithan, before we go in, I just want to let you know I asked my house-elves to come and do some cleaning for you," said Professor Potter.

"Professor, you shouldn't have," said his mother, opening the door. "It wasn't..."

As soon as the door was opened wide enough, Connor rushed in and came face to face with a small and skinny creature with a big head and long pointed ears. He looked at it with eyes open wide in surprise.

"Master!" it exclaimed, looking behind Connor. "We had to cook at the house," it said, looking at the floor. "We didn't know how to use the stove."

Connor wondered why the little being had such an outfit. It was very big and had colours that didn't really match.

"Malda, don't worry about it," said Professor Potter gently. "You and Kreacher really did an amazing job."

"Oh! Wow!" finally said Connor, coming over his surprise. "You're not a goblin but what are you?"

"I'm an house-elf!" said the little creature proudly. "Master Potter's house-elf!"

"I'm Connor," said Connor, shaking her hand which granted him a radiant smile from the little elf. "Nice to meet you."

"Malda, is Mr McKeithan alright?" asked Professor Potter.

"I'm in here," called Connor's father from the living room.

Connor ran to the living room to see his father sitting in his chair, playing with a little version of the creature he had just met in the hallway.

"Isn't he precious?" said his dad when the others walked into the living room. "Mr Potter, you have the most wonderful servant in the world. Malda is a darling: witty and funny."

"Thank you, Mr McKeithan," said Professor Potter. "And I agree with you: they are great beings."

Connor turned to Malda.

"Is that... it that your baby?" he asked.

Up to this point, Connor hadn't been sure the little elf was a female, even if her name sounded feminine.

"Yes, it's my Dobby," she said proudly. "I named him after our war hero who was a friend of Master. In fact, we belong to Master Potter so Dobby is not really mine."

"You belong? You mean he owns you?"

"Of course, he does."

"But you're a slave!"

"Oh, no!" said Malda appealed. "Master Potter is too nice for us to be slaves," she said. "He treats us so well. We always has more than enough food to eat, we has living quarters with nests and blankets, we has fabric and yarn to do our own clothes, and he lets us go wherever we want as long as our chores are done. It is a joy and an honour to be owned by Master Potter. We is very lucky. Not all masters are as nice as Master Potter. And to think Dobby will get to serve such a wonderful family," added Malda, joining her hands together against her chest and sighing dramatically. "We is lucky."

Connor enjoyed dinner very much that evening. He didn't know how it happened but for once, they were more food than they all could possibly eat, and there were plenty of leftovers too. In addition, there were food he had never had before and he knew they must have come from Professor Potter's pantry. Even the juice in his glass was something he had never tasted before and he really liked it.

"What is this?" he asked Ginny, who was sitting next to him.

"Pumpkin juice," answered Ginny.

"Pumpkin juice? Wow! It's really good!"

"Yes," answered Ginny. "Most wizards like it."

Connor noticed his parents had barely touched theirs.

"What about normal people?" he asked quietly.

"They don't really like it as much," said Ginny in confidence. "They prefer orange juice."

"Oh!" said Connor.

Once they were done with dinner, Connor turned to his dad.  
"Dad, can I show you what I've got?" he asked excited.

Connor was yet to tell his dad what he had seen and bought.

"Sure, son," he said enthusiastically. "I would love to see it."

Connor went to the hallway to get his shopping bags before joining his dad and Ginny in the living room. A few seconds later, his cats came running in and jumped on the sofa next to Ginny.

"Oh!" said Ginny surprised. "Are they yours?" she asked Connor, petting the cats head and neck.

"Yes," said Connor. "The Headmistress gave me permission to bring them both to school."

"I would think so," said Ginny with an amused smile. "What are they names?"

"Milord and Milady," he answered.

"Milord, Milady," she greeted both cats, knowing right away which one was which.

Connor frowned in surprise. Most people assumed the male was the grey cat and the female the orange one. He was surprised Ginny had guessed correctly which was which.

"Son, what do you have to show me?" asked his father before he could ask Ginny how she had known.

Connor emptied his bag on the coffee table and looked at his items.

"Okay dad, here is the cauldron," he said, giving his dad the cauldron for him to touch. "It looks exactly like the cauldrons in the witch stories but it is smaller."

Connor then showed his dad all the items one by one until there was only his wand left.

With reverence, he opened the box and walked to his dad side.

"Dad, this is the most important thing we bought today: my wand," he said, putting the box in his father's hand.

Connor's father took it in his hands and touched it slowly.

"It is made of oak and there is a unicorn hair in the middle," he said.

"Unicorn?"

"Yes! Can you believe? Unicorns really exist!"

"That's marvellous, son."

"Connor," said Ginny, coming to stand next to him. "Show your dad what it does when you hold it."

"Really? How?"

"Here. May I, Mr McKeithan?" she asked.

"Sure," said Connor's dad, holding the wand for her to take.

"Now, Mr McKeithan, please put your hand on Connor's hand."

Connor put his hand in his dad's.

"Okay," said Ginny. "Now hold this," she said, giving Connor his wand. "Be careful. Don't point it towards your dad. Good."

The warm feeling returned to Connor's hand and the nice blue and red sparkles came out of the wand tip.

"Oh!" said Mr McKeithan. "I feel it! It's like a warm tingle feeling."

"Okay now," said Ginny, gently taking the wand away and putting it in its box. "Now, while you are home, you need to keep your wand in the box, okay?"

"Why?" asked Connor curiously.

"Because first of all, young wizards are not allowed to do magic outside of school until they are seventeen, and second, when you are here by yourself, you don't have anybody to help you if something goes wrong. Right now, I'm here so I could have done something if it had gone wrong," explained Ginny. "Do you understand?"

"Yes," answered Connor sadly.

"However, you can read your books if you want," she said, trying to cheer him up.

They had been talking about other things when Professor Potter joined them fifteen minutes later.

"Connor, I was wondering if we could have a word in private," he said.

"Sure, Professor!" he said. "Is my bedroom fine?"

"That would be perfect."

They went to Connor's bedroom and sat on the bed.

"I have to go now," began Professor Potter. "But before I do, I wanted to talk to you.

"Connor, Hogwarts students are not allowed to do magic outside of school. So I want you to promise me that you will not try anything."

"Okay," said Connor sadly.

He didn't tell Professor Potter that Ginny had already told him the same thing in the hopes the Professor would tell him something different.

"Connor, it's very important," emphasised the Professor. "When you're at school, there are teachers there who can help you if something goes wrong. If something happens while you are here, it may take a while before somebody can help you, just long enough for someone to get really hurt. Do you understand?"

Connor nodded, looking at his lap.

"The Ministry of Magic always knows when children do magic because of a magical trace on underage wizards. Doing magic outside of school is a serious offence and can get you expelled. We don't want that, now do we?"

Connor shook his head, any thought of trying anything was replaced with the fear of being expelled before even setting foot at the school.

"I want you to leave your wand in its box. That way, you'll reduce the possibility of having an accident," added the Professor with a gentle smile. "You can read your books if you want to, but again, don't try to do what's in them, okay?"

"Okay," said Connor.

"Now that being said, there's something else you need to know. Sometimes, you may do magic without knowing it," said Professor Potter. "That's what happened when your door disappeared."

"I did that?" asked Connor surprised. "For real? I... I was asleep and I had a dream where somebody was chasing me. I remembered entering a room and wishing the door would disappear. When I woke up, my door was gone!"

"Well, if something like this happens again," said the Professor with a grin, "don't panic, okay? I want you to write me a note and tell me about it. Besides, you can write to me for anything if you want to. Just attach the note to Milord or Milady and tell them to bring it to me."

"Milord? Milady? But how will they find you?" asked Connor puzzled.

As if feeling Professor Potter and Connor were talking about them, both cats walked into the room and jumped on the bed.

"I think you've noticed how intelligent they are, haven't you? More so than any other cats you've ever seen, right?"

"Yes," answered Connor, petting the cats who were now purring loudly.

"That's because they're not just cats," explained the Professor. "They're half-kneazles. They're magical creatures with magical powers."

"They are?" asked Connor, totally enchanted with the idea his cats were in fact special and magical just like him.

"Yes, they are," affirmed the Professor. "And one of their powers is to assist you any way they can. If you ask one of them to deliver a message to me, they will."

"Won't they get lost? Won't they get hurt? What if a dog chases them?" asked Connor worried about the safety of his companions.

"Oh, no worries!" answered Harry with a chuckle. "They are far too intelligent. And dogs don't stand a chance against them! Besides, I don't live very far from here.

"Now, I've got to go," said the Professor, standing up. "I'll come back in two weeks to check on you, okay?"

Connor nodded and looked at the Professor leave. For a moment, Connor remained where he was, without moving, wondering if he had dreamt all of this wonderful day. A few minutes later, his mum walked into his room with all his shopping bags and he smiled. The day had definitely not been a dream. It had been all really.

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	4. Chapter 3 - The Train Ride

Chapter 3 – The Train Ride

Connor was impatiently looking through the living room window at the street outside; he was waiting for Professor Potter.

"Don't worry, son, he'll come," said his dad, feeling his anticipation.

The evening before, to Connor surprise, he had found an owl waiting on the backyard bench.

"Mum," he had called. "There's something very strange in the backyard."

"What is it, sweetheart?" she had asked from the sink where she had been washing the dinner dishes.

"There's an owl on the bench."

"Oh!" she had said, drying her hand. "That must be a message from Professor Potter."

"What? A message?" he had asked, surprised his mum knew something about the magical world he was yet to find out.

"Yes, Connor. Would you please get me two treats from the bag in the pantry? They're right next to the cats' treats," she had said, opening the back door.

Connor had got the treats and followed her outside. She had slowly been approaching the owl which was patiently waiting with its leg extended in their direction. Sure enough, on its leg a message had been tied. His mum had taken it and extended her hand towards Connor, all the while keeping her eyes on the owl. Connor had put a few treats in her hand and she had offered them to the owl who had hooted softly before grabbing them in its beck. It had gulped the treats, hooted again and waited.

"Wow!" had simply said Connor. "What is it waiting for?"

"We must read the message," had said his mum. "Professor Potter may want an answer."

"How do you know all that?"

"Why, Professor Potter told me, of course," she had answered amused.

She had quickly broken the seal of the parchment and unrolled it.

"It's from Professor Potter, all right," she had said and read the note quickly. "He wants to visit tomorrow afternoon around two."

"Oh, mum! Please say yes," had begged Connor.

"Of course, sweetheart," had said his mum, ruffling his hair. "Let's reply to him so the owl can be on its way."

It was now one-thirty and Connor was sitting at the window waiting. He knew time wouldn't go faster by him looking at the street but he was too anxious to do anything else.

"Son, why don't you read me some of the Merlin book we got you for your birthday?" suggested his dad.

It was actually a good idea. Connor had begun reading to his father right after his visit to Diagon Alley, and both of them enjoyed it immensely.

Connor ran to his bedroom and came back a few moments later with his book. He sat on the sofa and looked for the page he had last read. Again, as he flipped through the pages, he had the uncanny impression the images moved, just like the book on King Arthur he had seen with his mum in Diagon Alley. He finally found the page and began to read.

The time passed by so quickly that the doorbell rang before he knew it. Surprised, Connor looked up at his dad.

"Go, son! Don't make the Professor wait," said his father with a chuckle.

Connor closed his book, put it on the coffee table and ran to the front door. As he opened it, Connor beamed with joy when he saw Professor Potter standing on the front stoop.

"Professor!" he exclaimed, and hugged him tightly. "You came!" he said, without letting go.

"Of course," said the Professor, returning Connor's hug. "I told you I would. How are things, Connor?" he asked once Connor let go of him.

"They're okay," answered Connor, letting the professor in. "But I really look forward to using my wand."

"I bet you do," said Harry, ruffling his hair and then following Connor to the living room.

"I brought you a little something," said the Professor, grabbing something from his pocket and sitting next to Connor on the sofa.

"Really?" asked Connor, his face lighting up at the idea of receiving a gift.

"Yes," answered the Professor, opening his hand.

Inside was a miniature trunk with numerous stickers which made it unique and pretty.

"Oh!" said Connor, not sure what else to say.

Harry put it on the ground and took his wand from his pocket.

"_Engorgio_," he said, pointing his wand at it.

To Connor's surprise, the trunk enlarged to become big enough to contain all of his school supplies and clothes.

"Wow!" said Connor, walking to it and opening it.

The brown trunk was new and decorated with stickers including a British flag, a 'I love London', and a Holyhead Harpies sticker.

"Ginny put the stickers on it," explained the Professor with a smile. "She thought it would be fun for you to have something a little different than the other kids. Besides, it makes it easier to recognise. Do you like it?"

"Yes!" said Connor. "I do!"

"Good! Let's go put it in your room."

"Professor, I was curious to know; what will I be learning at school?" asked Connor as they sat back on the sofa a few minutes later. "I mean, I read some of the books but I don't see how it all works."

"Don't worry, Connor," answered the Professor. "You're not going to be the only one. I was raised by Muggles too, remember? And I didn't know anything when I got to Hogwarts."

"Did other kids laugh at you?"

"No," answered the Professor with a chuckle. "I think even the wizard-born children didn't know a whole lot... well, at least most of them."

"So, what will I learn?"

"Well, you'll learn Transfiguration, which is transforming things or living beings into something else. I think you should have no problems there since you made your door disappear," said the Professor with a grin. "Then there are Charms which are spells you do to an object or a being, such as making them levitate.

"Then there is Defence Against the Dark Arts, which I teach and mostly consist of defensive spells so you can protect yourself, offensive spells so you can attack and also the identification of what can be dangerous and how.

"Then there is Astronomy, which are the stars, then History and Magic, and of course an introductory course on the magical world.

"There is also Potions, which is basically the recipe for all manners of magic potions and finally, there is Herbology, which is the study of magical plants."

"Really? No more Math, or English?" asked Connor.

"Oh! You'll still have those," said Professor Potter amused. "But not as much as if you were in a muggle school. The one we teach is only to make sure all students are on equal footing and to insure you have the necessary knowledge to take Arithmancy later, or to write a proper essay. You are not going to study Muggle authors and the likes; just the purest form of the subject matter, what is actually useful.

"You'll also have lessons in geography and magical politics, but not for some years to come for that last one. And of course, Hogwarts offers quite a few language classes now.

"You'll see; it's nothing like the muggle schools."

"Will he be able to function once he finishes?" asked his dad worried.

"Oh, yes!" said the Professor. "We all do."

"What if he wants to pursue a career in the normal world? What if he wants to go to a normal University?"

Connor wondered why he would ever want such a thing. The wizarding world was so much more interesting.

"I don't know if it has ever been done before, sir," answered the Professor, "but I would imagine it could be done. As for working in the Muggle world, that is entirely possible as there are wizards in numerous Muggle positions."

Professor Potter left later that afternoon, after retelling numerous stories of his years at Hogwarts. As he left, he promised to come and pick up Connor the morning of September 1 for his trip to the train station.

That night, as he went to bed, Connor took a long time to fall asleep as he replayed Professor Potter's stories in his mind. When he finally fell asleep, it was to dream of Hogwarts and all the wonderful things he hoped to see there.

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Connor woke up suddenly, quickly sat up in his bed, and wiped the tears from his eyes.

He had dreamt that his mum, his wonderful loving mum, was crying and his dad sat next to her, holding her hand, at a loss for what to say to make it better. Connor didn't quite understand what would had caused such a distress in her but tomorrow was the first of September and he feared she was crying because she missed him.

Connor dried his eyes again and once he had his crying under control, he rummaged in his chest of drawers for clothes. It was still early but there was no point going back to bed: Connor simply could not get the images of his crying mum out of his mind. He dressed slowly, still somewhat distressed, and went down the stairs. His mum was already gone to work and his dad was resting in his chair. Connor quietly went to the kitchen and made himself a toast and purred some orange juice. He sat at the table and slowly ate his breakfast, thinking about his mum and the time he would have to spend away from her. He loved his mum more than anybody in the world and he did not want to see her unhappy. There were poor, he knew, and she was working so hard to make their family work that she deserved to be happy when she was home.

Connor took a sip of his orange juice, and frowned, looking at the orange liquid in his glass. Since he had tasted pumpkin juice, he thought orange juice was not quite as good anymore. Pumpkin juice reminded him how much his mum had enjoyed Diagon Alley. She had genuinely liked everything about the wizarding world, not because he was a wizard but because she was, deep down at heart, a big kid who loved fantasy and magic. She had bought him the book about Merlin after all and had told him countless stories about wizards and witches, most of them of her own creation.

"Everybody needs a little bit of magic," she had always said.

Connor would miss her horribly and again, he wondered if he should leave.

But the memory of the taste of pumpkin juice reminded him how much he simply wanted to find a place where he belonged. There was no hiding it: he would never be accepted in a regular school. He may be tolerated but his dreams would always make him stand out, even if he kept them secret.

And in his dreams, Hogwarts had felt so right. He would be with other kids just like him, and if meeting Gregory and Guinevere was any indication, he would finally be able to make friends.

His longing to go conflicted with his love for his mum all day, making him quiet and withdrawn.

"Connor, sweetheart, what's wrong?" asked his mum while he was helping her clean up the table after dinner. "I thought you would be ecstatic to leave for school tomorrow."

"I am," he said unconvincingly, looking at the floor.

"Then why the long face?"

"I... I won't see you every day," he answered, looking up at her. "What if I miss you? What if you miss me?" he added, more forcefully. "I don't want you to miss me and be sad."

His mum pulled a chair from the table and sat on it. With a warm smile, she opened her arms and hugged him tightly.

"Sweetheart, of course I'll miss you," she said gently. "I love you and you're my baby so of course I'll miss you. But I won't be sad. You know why? Because every time I'll miss you, I'll think about the wonderful place you're in, and all the wonderful things you're learning.

"Connor, you're a very lucky boy. Think about all these other kids who don't get to go to Hogwarts. You're one of the very few lucky ones because you're special. The same special traits that make other kids nasty to you in regular schools make you able to discover this new and wonderful world. Do you see how lucky you are?"

"And you won't be sad?" asked Connor, thinking about his dream.

"No, my love," she answered. "I will be full of joy for you," she added and kissed the top of his head.

Their conversation had reassured Connor a little but he still could not get the picture of his mum crying out of his head.

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It was 9:45 the next morning when the doorbell rang announcing Professor Potter's arrival. His mum, who had requested to go to work late so she could see him off, opened the door and let the Professor in.

"Is our new student ready?" asked the Professor with a big smile.

"I'm ready!" said Connor, running to the entrance. "But, Professor Potter, the trunk is really, really heavy and we were wondering if you knew a way to make it lighter. If I read correctly, my Charms book had a spell – wingasium, wingadum or something like that – which makes objects lighter."

"You're right," said the Professor proudly. "The spell is _Wingardium Leviosa_. If you were already Sorted, I would give you points for creative thinking."

Connor smiled proudly. He wasn't sure what 'points' were and how they related to be 'Sorted' but the Professor's expression told him it was something to be proud of.

"Let's go get your trunk," said the Professor.

A few minutes later, the trunk was in the taxi boot, and both cats were in their cage, on the back seat. Connor then turned to his parents for a final goodbye.

"Mum, I'll miss you," he said, hugging her as hard as he could.

"I will miss you too, but don't be sad," she said, holding him against her. "And if you think I'm sad, remember what I told you."

"Okay."

Connor let go of his mum and hugged his dad.

"Dad, I'll miss you too," he said.

"Oh, I'll miss you too, son," said his dad. "But you'll send us letters, won't you? I seem to recall your mum saying something about owl post," he added in a playful tone.

"I will dad, I will."

Connor gave them each a final kiss and climbed in the back seat of the taxi where Professor Potter was already waiting for him. As they drove away, Connor thought about his mum again, and his dream of her crying. And for the hundredth time, he wondered if he was really doing the right thing.

"Connor, what's wrong?" asked Professor Potter, breaking the silence.

"I had a dream, Professor," said Connor.

He hadn't told his parents about his dream because he hadn't wanted to worry them.

"In it," he continued, "Mum was crying a lot, and Dad didn't know how to comfort her. I don't know why she was crying but I think it's because I was away at school and she missed me."

"Connor, do you think your Mum would rather you stayed home?" asked the Professor gently.

"No," answered Connor. "I think she's very happy for me," he said with a small smile, remembering again how she had enjoyed her trip to Diagon Alley.

"And that's absolutely right," confirmed Professor Potter. "So do you think she would want you to be sad about her being sad?"

"No," he answered. "Professor, do you think Ginny could check on her while we're at school?" he asked hopefully.

Even with all the reassurance he was provided, he knew he would feel better knowing somebody was keeping an eye on his parents.

"When we get to school, let's send Ginny a letter and ask her," said the Professor with an amused smile.

"Okay," said Connor also smiling.

Once they arrived at King's Cross Station, a few minutes later, Professor Potter got a trolley and put Connor's trunk on it. Connor grabbed his cat cages and put them on the trunk. Connor was surprised to see how well behave his cats were. Both of them were curled at the bottom of their carrier, looking like they were sleeping. Connor had never owned any other cats in his life but he doubted all cats travelled that easily. Their behaviour only put credence to Professor Potter claim that his cats were in fact not just cats but half-kneazles, and magical.

Connor was about to push his trolley when he realised the Professor did not have one.

"Professor Potter, where is your trunk?" he asked. "You're not taking the train with me?"

"No Connor," he answered. "The train is a time for you to meet new people and make friends. I'll be at Hogwarts when you get there, don't worry."

After a short walk inside the station, they arrived on the platform between quays nine and ten. They stopped a few feet away from a wall and the Professor turned to him.

"This is where the entrance to our platform is," said the Professor, pointing at the brick wall. "To go to Platform nine and three-quarters, just walk straight at it. Just make sure nobody is looking at you first."

Connor looked at him as if he was pulling the mickey on him.

"Professor," he said hesitantly. "You are making fun of me, aren't you?"

No," answered the Professor very seriously. "Watch," he added, turning Connor around so he would face the wall.

At that moment, Connor saw an older student walk through the wall with his trolley and disappear.

"Wow!" said Connor. "My turn!" he exclaimed, anxious to try it.

"Sure," said Professor Potter, amused. "Just wait for this crowd to thin a little. And don't forget to look inconspicuous."

A few moments later, the platform was mostly empty and Connor walked through the wall. A moment later, he emerged on another platform. And few seconds later, Professor Potter appeared next to him.

"Wow!" said Connor. "That was bizarre!"

"Yes, it can be disconcerting," said the Professor. "Come."

They turned the corner and Connor saw it: a huge red locomotive puffing white smoke all over the platform.

"Wow!" said Connor again, stopping in his tracks.

"Let's find you a seat," suggested the Professor, taking over pushing the trolley.

As they walked through the crowd, Connor became increasingly aware of the stares, pointing and whispering of Professor Potter's name. While the situation had been noticeable in Diagon Alley a month earlier, it was even worse on the train platform that morning. All this curiosity made Connor nervous and he began to feel increasingly fidgety.

"Professor," he finally said when the unrequired attention became almost unbearable to him. "Why are they all looking at you again? I know what Professor Granger said but why, really?" he asked, nervously looking around.

"Tell you what," said Professor Potter, leaning down to look Connor in the eyes. "This weekend, come and have tea with me, and I will tell you all about it if you wish, okay?"

"Okay," answered Connor. "It's not bad, is it?" he quickly asked as if afraid it was.

"No," answered the Professor, laughing. "It's just a rather long story."

"Connor! Over here!" called someone further down the platform.

Connor looked up and saw Gregory with his mum and a young man who looked like he could be his bigger brother. He ran the few feet to the youth and shook his hand enthusiastically.

"Gregory! Hi! Nervous?"

"Yeah," answered Gregory. "You?"

"Yeah," answered Connor with a grin. "Professor Potter has been talking to me about the school some but I really don't know what to expect."

"Me neither," said Gregory. "And Ernie, my brother," he indicated with his head, "has been talking to me about it too. I'm curious to see which House I'll be in."

"House? That's how the students are divided, right? I think we'll be in the same one," said Connor, remembering he had been sitting next to Gregory at the table in his dream of Hogwarts.

"You know about the Houses then?"

"Well, some," answered Connor uncertain. "But I wouldn't mind if you remind me of them."  
"Come on, children, in the train," said Mrs MacMillan with an indulgent smile.

Connor looked around for his luggage and spotted the empty trolley next to Professor Potter. He looked in the train and saw his half-kneazle cages on one of the seats. Quickly, he climbed the steps and sat on the seat across from Gregory.

"This is so exciting," said Gregory, bouncing up and down.

The Conductor blew the whistle and Professor Potter closed the door. Connor looked further back in the compartment and saw another young girl who looked like a first year too.

"Connor, will you be all right?" asked the Professor, gaining back his attention.

"Oh, yes Professor!" he answered, beginning to feel the excitement of the new journey.

"Here," said the Professor, giving him some money through the open window. "Get something good from the trolley. But stay away from the Every Flavoured Beans; they can be quite nasty."

"Thank you, Professor!" said Connor, happily waving as the train department. "I'll see you at school!"

He waved at the platform until the train went around the bent, then pulled the window shut. He sat back down and looked at Gregory with a grin. He was about to say something when the door opened and Guinevere pocked her head in.

"Hi, Connor!" she said, and walked in, pulling her trunk behind her and holding her owl cage in her other hand.

Without asking, she put her trunk aside and sat on the bench next to him, putting her owl cage on the ground next to her.

"And who are you?" asked Gregory puzzled that she would come in and joined them without asking.

"I'm Guinevere," she answered. "And you?"

"Gregory," he answered.

"And you?" asked Connor to the girl in the corner who had been quiet all this time.  
"Joanna," she answered shyly.

Both Gregory and Guinevere jumped, startled to find out there was somebody else in the compartment. The introductions were followed by a long uncomfortable silence during which Connor wondered what there were supposed to do during their train ride.

"Did your brother ever tell you what he did while on the train?" finally asked Connor to Gregory.

"Hang out with his friends," answered Gregory. "And you? Did Professor Potter tell you what he used to do?"

"No," answered Connor, looking down. "He only said it was a time to make some friends."  
"Then let's do that," said Gregory, standing up resolutely.

He walked to the door and looked behind him at Connor who was still sitting.

"Are you coming?" he asked.

"Where?" asked Connor.

"To go make some friends, of course," answered Gregory.

Connor was suddenly nervous at the idea. He remembered how he had approached Gregory at the Wheezes but this was not the same. With Gregory, he had seen, in his dream, they would be friends but those other students were complete strangers and Connor was afraid. He feared that, like at his other school, the other students would not like him and make fun of him. Nervously, he looked at Guinevere.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" prompted Gregory again, impatiently tapping his foot.

"Want to come?" he asked Guinevere to gain time.

"I rather read a little," she answered, picking a book from her pocket.

Connor then turned towards Joanna who simply shook her head.

Turning back to Gregory, Connor built up his courage and stood up. He quickly followed his friend into the corridor before he lost his nerve. Gregory walked all the way to the front of the first wagon of the train which was not divided by cabins but was instead composed of benches and tables. At one of the tables, four older students were playing a card game where the cards would sometime explode.

"What are they playing at?" asked Connor.

"Exploding Snap," answered Gregory. "It's a really popular game in the wizarding world."  
"Do you play it?" asked Connor.

"Of course," answered Gregory, moving along to another table where two kids of about their age were sitting.

"Hi," said Gregory. "Are you first-years?" he asked.  
"No, second," answered one of them. "Both those three over there are."

Gregory and Connor walked to the other three students who looked lost and insecure.

"Are you first-years?" asked Gregory.

They looked up surprised to be addressed by anybody.

"Yes," answered one of the girls. "We are."

She had an accent which Connor could not quite recognise.

"Hi!" said Gregory with a smile. "I'm Gregory and this is Connor."

"Hi," said Connor, waving his hand shyly.

"I am Ohanna," said the girl who had spoken to them.

She had long blond hair and deep blue eyes. Her face was round and her lips a dark reddish pink.

"I am Karoline," said the other girl.

She too had an accent. Her hair was light brown and her eyes were also blue. She also had a round face and her eyebrows were tick and her eyelashes very long.

"And I am Yuri," said the boy with an accent too.

He had dark brown hair and blue eyes.

"Nice to meet you," said Gregory. "We were just walking around trying to meet people. Want to join us?"

They stood up eagerly and followed them out of the wagon.

"Are you from London?" asked Ohanna to Connor who was walking next to her.

"Yes," answered Connor. "You?"

"Manchester," she answered.

"You have an accent," remarked Connor. "Where is it from?"

"I was born in Armenia," she answered with a smile. "We moved to England about three years ago. My father got a position teaching Physics at the University."

"Oh! Your parents are also normal people?" asked Connor surprised.

"Yes," she answered. "So am I to understand yours are too?"

"Yes," answered Connor. "Were your parents surprised to find out you're a witch?"

"Of course," she answered with a chuckle. "My dad is a scientist. He still does not believe I am a witch. He thinks my powers have a scientific explanation."

"He might be right," confirmed another student, joining them. "And the explanation is actually genetic," he added. "Hi! My name is Dillon MacKnight. My father is a geneticist and my mum a Healer at St. Mungos. I'm a half-blood!" he added proudly.

"What's St. Mungos?" asked Ohanna.

"Oh! I see, you're muggle-born, right?" he asked. "Well, St. Mungo's is the hospital for wizards," he said without waiting for them to answer. "They treat all sorts of ailments there..."

And Dillon went on to explain what was treated at St. Mungo's. Connor found Dillon's explanation quite interesting but he wondered if the other boy ever took a breath.

"So my father is a genetic scientist and he thinks there are three genes which influence whether or not we are wizards," he concluded.

"Wow!" said Connor, his eyes opened wide in surprise.

"Hi!" said another boy, joining them. "I'm Rajiv," he introduced himself. "I'm a first year, too."

The boy had very dark brown hair and brown eyes. His skin was a rich brown colour and his face was elongated. He had very long and thick eyelashes and wore small round glasses.

"Hi!" said Connor, instantly liking the newcomer.

"I heard from the other wagon that you were looking for first years and I came," he said with a light accent.

Rajiv voice was soft and pleasant, and he had an easy smile which seemed to be permanently gracing his serene face.

Connor looked around and saw they had walked back to their compartment. There were now about twenty other students with them and Guinevere had joined some of them in conversation. From the other end of the train, some more students were arriving and joining them.

"Are your parents wizards?" asked Rajiv, pulling him back into the conversation.

"No," he answered. "They are both... Muggles."

The word sounded strange to Connor's ears but he figured he would get used to it.

"And you?" he asked Rajiv.

"Yes," he answered proudly. "Both of them are wizards. Do you know the House system?"

"Yes but I wouldn't mind if you would explain it again," answered Connor. "I have heard so much things about the wizarding world in the last few weeks that I am forgetting some."

As Rajiv began to describe the system, a few other students joined the conversation. By their questions, Connor figured they were probably muggle-born like him. Rajiv described each House and their particularities to his avid listeners, keeping each description positive and interesting.

"You're way too nice when you described the Slytherins!" said one of the newcomers who joined the group while Rajiv was talking.

"I believe in the beauty of people and things, not their flaws," answered Rajiv with a smile.

Connor wondered how this kid could sound so wise and philosophical at eleven. He thought about when he bought his wand and wondered what Mr Ollivander had said about Rajiv. His musings were interrupted by the arrival of the trolley.

"Make room for the trolley, dears," said an older lady, pushing the trolley through. "Anybody wants anything from the trolley?" she asked, stopping in the middle of the group of first-year students.

"I'd like two Chocolate Frogs, please," asked Rajiv.

"Chocolate Frogs?" asked Connor.

"Yes. They have cards of famous wizards inside and I collect them. Besides, the chocolate frog is also quite good," he explained.

Connor looked at how many coins Rajiv was paying for his frogs and taking the same amount off his pocket, bought himself two as well. While the other students placed their orders, most muggle-born going for Chocolate Frogs, Connor opened his. To his immense surprise, the frog leaped off of the package, and the students who had commented on the Slytherin House caught it amused.

"Be careful there!" he said, giving it back to Connor. "They do jump off."

"Really?" said Connor. "Are they alive?"

"Oh, no!" answered the youth. "They only have a spell on them. It'll last only a few minutes.

"I'm Zosimus, by the way," he introduced himself. "But most people call me Zoïd."

"Hi! I'm Connor," said Connor.

He looked at his frog and wondered if he should put it in his mouth. Despite what Zoïd told him, he was afraid to hurt it. He looked up and saw both Zoïd and Rajiv taking a bit of their frogs. The spell instantly dissipated. Connor told himself that if the peaceful Rajiv was eating them it must not hurt them. Somehow, from what he had seen, Connor doubted Rajiv could ever hurt anyone, or anything.

Slowly he put the frog in his mouth and chewed. The frog stopped moving instantly. Rajiv was right: the chocolate was good.

"Who did you get?" asked Rajiv, pointing towards Connor's card which was still in the box.

"I've got... Dumbledore," answered Connor. "Who is he?"

Rajiv gave him a summary of who Dumbledore was.

"I've got Merlin, again," he answered. "I really wish I could get Harry Potter."

"My cousin caught a Harry Potter card," said one of the other students Connor was yet to meet. "They are incredibly rare, you know."

"Connor knows him, personally," said Gregory.

The first-year felt silent and turned towards Connor. After a few moments, half of the students began to ask questions at once, while the other half looked at the questioning students puzzled by their reaction.

"Who is Harry Potter?" Connor heard Ohanna ask.

"He's the greatest wizard of our time," said one student to Connor's left.

"He defeated You-Know-Who," said another one to the right.

"He's a hero," said another one.

"You... you know Harry Potter?" asked Dillon who had made his way through the crowd and now stood in front of Connor.

Connor looked at the youth worriedly but only saw curiosity in his expression, nothing threatening. Glad to finally have somebody to focus on, Connor kept his eyes on him.

"Yes," he answered. "He's the one who brought me my letter."

"He brought you your letter?" asked somebody to the left.

"How come? He's not a teacher," said another one to the right.

"Maybe he decided to become one," said another one.

"Of course he is!" affirmed a girl. "It was in the paper over the summer. Don't you all read?" she asked, making her way to Connor's side. "Hi! I'm Regina and I've read everything there is to read about Harry Potter. My family considers me the expert in the matter.

"So, he brought you your letter, didn't he?" she asked. "Well, I think he should have stayed with the Auror, if you ask me," she continued before Connor had a chance to answer. "His talents will be wasted at Hogwarts."

Connor did not understand half of what Regina was referring to and, to be very honest, he didn't care. All he wanted was for the attention to go away from him. It seemed Regina's comment had the desired effect. As she walked away, other students left with her debating the skills and values of Harry Potter.

"Sorry, mate," said Gregory, walking to him. "I didn't think they would turn on you like this."

"Oh, it's okay," said Connor, sounding relatively convincing for somebody who was still shaken by the attention he had received even if it wasn't the bad sort.

"I'm sorry, too," said Rajiv sadly. "I didn't realise my comment would bring this upon you."

"It's okay, Rajiv. You could not have known," said Connor, surprised to see Rajiv also felt responsible.

Somehow, Connor's comment did not seem to make Rajiv feel any better so Connor tried another tactic.

"Gregory, did you get Chocolate Frogs?" he asked.

"Yes," answered Gregory.

"Who's on your card?"

"I've got Ignatia Wildsmith," he answered.

"Who is that?" asked Connor.

"Oh! She invented the Floo Powder," said Rajiv, lighting up. "Do you know what the Floo Network is?"

"No," he answered.

Rajiv, smiling widely, began to explain what the Floo Network was to a crowd of muggle-born who drank in his every word with 'Ohs' and 'Ahs' at the right place. Connor had seen right: explaining things made Rajiv happy and he had seemed to forget about what happened earlier.

By the time a Prefect – a sixth year Ravenclaw named Nicola Vance – told them it was time to change into their school robes, Connor had met two dozen students from every background. Everybody had been very nice but his favourites were Gregory and Rajiv. While he got ready, he hoped Rajiv would be Sorted in the same House as he, even if he hadn't seen him sitting at the same table as he and Gregory in his dreams.

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	5. Chapter 4 - The Sorting

Chapter 4 – The Sorting

They had changed and had just sat down in their compartment when the train began to decelerate. Connor looked outside to see if he could glimpse anything but to his surprise, it was completely dark. He turned to Gregory and, as he was about to ask a question, his friend's stomach growled loudly.

"I'm hungry, too," said Connor with a grin. "I hope we won't have to wait too long for dinner."

"Well, there is the Sorting before and there should be about forty of us, so it may be a while."

The train finally stopped and everybody stood up to grab their trunk and exit the train. Connor grabbed his trunk with one hand and turned to his two cat cages.

'How am I going to do this,' he wondered.

Everybody in his compartment had their hands already full and couldn't help him.

"Eh, Gregory... I think I've got a problem here," said Connor to his friends who was about to exit the compartment after the girls.

Gregory turned around and saw Connor's predicament.

"Oh!" said Gregory. "Hold on."

Gregory ran up the corridor and came back an instant later with Zoïd.

"Two half-kneazles?!" said the youth surprised. "How did you manage that?" he asked, taking Milord's cage.

"I honestly don't know," answered Connor, grateful for the help. "They are the ones who actually adopted me. The Headmistress gave me permission to bring them both."

"Lucky you!" said Zoïd. "I don't even have a pet yet. I think my parents will get me one for Christmas like they did for my older sister. She's a third year now."

They exited the train and, while most of the students were going left, Zoïd and Gregory began to go right. Connor wondered why when he heard a booming voice calling: "First year! This way! Come on, first year! Don't be shy!"

Connor looked up and saw the giant from his dreams calling them over.

"Wow!" he said. "Who is that?"

"It's Hagrid," answered Zoïd. "My sister said he is a pretty cool guy."

"First year! Over here!" called the giant again. "Please put your trunk on the side over there. Don't be shy. Your things will be perfectly safe."

"Who's going to take our trunks to the school?" asked Connor as he put his trunk against the train station wall with his cat's cages on top.

He was worried to leave his cats behind.

"Oh! Don't worry," said Gregory. "The house-elves will take care of them. You know what a house-elf is, don't you?"

"Yes," answered Connor. "I met two."

"Two!" exclaimed Zoïd. "Wow! You're full of surprises for a muggle-born, Connor."

Connor smiled at the exuberant youth and followed the other first years to the end of the platform. Once the platform was emptied of the other students except for the first years, Hagrid turned around and began to walk down a trail which led to the lake, all the while calling for the first years to follow him. The students surrounding Connor were very quiet and some were also nervous. Connor looked around and though they were a lot more of them than forty. He began to count them and leaned towards Gregory.

"Gregory," whispered Connor. "Are you sure we are only forty? I'm counting about sixty of us."

Gregory looked around and counted the students also.

"That's strange," he said. "I wonder why we're more than usual."

A few minutes later, they arrived at the lake where a fleet of little boats was waiting for them.

"All of you, get in! Get in!" invited Hagrid.

"We're going to the school by boat?" asked Ohanna.

"Yes, we are," answered Hagrid.

"Where are the other students?" asked Karolina.

"They've gone to the castle in carriages," answered Hagrid. "But you first year get the special treatment: you get to go by boat. It's the best way, if you ask me. The view makes it very worth your while."

The students got in, four to a boat. As he sat down, Connor looked around for paddles and couldn't find any.

"Professor, how are we to get to the school? We have no paddles," said Ohanna.

"By magic, of course," answered Hagrid, climbing into the last boat.

The Professor looked one last time to make sure all the students were seated and turned to face the school saying 'Forward' loudly. One moment later, the boats began to move away from the dock and towards the school.

"Wow!" said Connor, looking around him at the other students with a smile on his face.

He had never been on a boat before and he greatly enjoyed it. He could see however, that while some students enjoyed the trip as much as he did, some others were very uncomfortable and one or two were terrified. Connor looked up and finally saw the school, sitting on the cliff. The view was totally breath-taking. The school windows were yellowed by thousands of lights and its facade seemed to glow. There were no doubts the school was in fact a castle. It was simply huge. It had numerous wings and towers and had a rather gothic look to it. Connor wondered how students could find their ways in so huge a structure.

As they approached the cliff, Connor saw little lighted holes all along its face, below the castle.

"I wonder what those are," he said.

"Oh!" said Gregory, who was sitting next to Connor. "Those are the Hufflepuff dormitories. If we are to believe my brother, they are under the castle, all along the cliff."

"Really? Underground?"

"Yeah," answered Gregory.

A few minutes later, they pulled into a cave and docked at a well-lighted dock.

"Come on, first year!" encouraged Hagrid, getting off his boat. "Anybody needs help?" he asked, grabbing a small girl from the waist and pulling her from her boat.

He gently put her on the dock and she smiled her thanks at the giant. A few moments later, they were following Hagrid up a very long stairway. Just when Connor thought he would drop from fatigue, they finally emerged on the grounds. The castle, from this point of view, was immense and Connor feared he would definitely get lost the moment he went inside. They made their way to two immense doors which Hagrid opened effortlessly after he had knocked three times on one of them. They walked inside and saw a smiling Professor Granger waiting for them in the Entrance Hall.

"This is Professor Granger," introduced Hagrid. "I'll leave you with her now."

"Thank you, Hagrid," she told the giant who left down a stairway, on the left of the door. "Good evening and welcome to Hogwarts, first year," greeted Professor Granger, turning to them. "In a few moments, we will be walking into the Great Hall where all the other students are waiting for us. We will walk to the front of the Hall and you will go through the Sorting Ceremony.

"Now, the Sorting Ceremony is not a test and it does not hurt. The Sorting Ceremony consists of each one of you sitting on a bench and putting the Sorting Hat on your head. The Hat will decide which of the four Houses you should belong to. The Houses are Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor. Once you are Sorted, you will then join your House table. If you are not certain which one it is, just look at me and I'll point you in the right direction.

"Here at Hogwarts, we have a system of points in which each student can win or lose points for their House. At year's end, the House with the most points wins the House Cup, which is a great honour.

"Now, the Sorting Ceremony will begin in a few moments and will take place in front of the school. Please make sure you are all looking your best.

"Any questions before we go in?"

Connor had tones of questions but he held his tongue. He was very glad Rajiv had given him a lengthy description of each House while on the train as it helped a lot in understanding what Professor Granger had talked about. Connor looked around him and saw some of the students looked very nervous. Next to him, Gregory was dancing from foot to foot while Rajiv was standing up straight with a serious expression on his face. Guinevere, who was also with them, looked bored. Connor wondered how she could look so bored; they had just arrived in a magical place with wonders by the dozen. How can anybody be bored?

"Now," said Professor Granger after a few moments of silence, "for those of you who do not know, Hogwarts is home to many ghosts. The ghosts are visible and will talk with you on most occasions. They are mostly friendly and will not hurt you.

"We also have a poltergeist named Peeves," she continued. "Peeves is somewhat of a tricksters and some of his tricks can be rather dangerous. Please, if you see him, do not linger in his vicinity."

Ghosts and poltergeists?

Connor wondered when the wizarding world would stop to amaze him. On second thought, he didn't want to stop being amazed. He just loved all the surprises and oddities of his new world.

"Now, please form a double line," she directed. "We will be going into the Great Hall."

Professor Granger opened the double door to the left and walked into the Great Hall followed by the first year.

Connor was completely amazed by how his dream had been accurate. The Hall was immense and as beautiful as in his dream. He looked at the ceiling which looked like an exact replica of the sky outside. He then looked to the front and saw Professor Potter sitting next to Hagrid, and Professor McGonagall, with her pointed hat. Connor smiled in pure joy: his dream was all true!

At the front of the hall, right in front of the teacher's table, was a four-legged stool with a very battered hat on it. Once all the first year students were standing in front of the hat, everybody waited in silence. Connor wondered what was going to happen when he saw a crack appear in front of the hat. And to his surprise, the hat began to sing. It sang a song describing each of the Houses and their virtues and encouraged all students to forge friendship across House's boundaries.

Once the hat was done, the older students erupted in loud cheers and applauses. Connor looked at Gregory who only shrugged. Connor's attention was drawn back to the front by Professor Granger who was unrolling a long parchment. Guinevere was the first he knew to be Sorted and, after a few moments with the hat on her head, the hat cried "Gryffindor!" She stood up, gave the hat to Professor Granger, and quickly made her way to the Gryffindor table who was cheering for her wildly.

Connor's stomach was growling painfully and a little over half the students had been called when Gregory's name was called out. Gregory sat on the bench and put the hat on his head. A few moments later, the hat said "Gryffindor!" Two names later, Connor was called. Like he had seen the others do, he walked to the bench, sat on it and put the hat on his head.

"Oh my!" said the hat. "You have quite a mind, young man."

Surprised the hat was saying anything else than the House name, Connor looked around to see if anybody else had heard it. But everybody else just looked on, waiting patiently for the House to be called out.

"Do not worry," said the hat. "Nobody can hear us.

"So let's see... Mmh! I see you have seen this moment before... Interesting. I see wisdom also. Ravenclaw, maybe? Oh! And a fair amount of courage. And I see in your mind what you have dreamt already and it was a good decision.

"Gryffindor!" announced the hat, and the Gryffindor table erupted in cheers again.

With a smile, Connor thought "Thank you, Mr Hat," before removing it. He stood up and discreetly waved at Professor Potter before making his way to the Gryffindor table. He sat next to Gregory who slapped him on the shoulder. Connor turned to the front of the Hall where the next person had been called. About fifteen names later, Rajiv was finally called and Connor hoped he would be Sorted in Gryffindor also. Like he had on the train, Rajiv looked at peace when he sat on the bench and put the hat on his head. Soon, the hat called "Hufflepuff!" and Connor felt a pang of disappointment. But his disappointment was short lived when he saw the radiant smile on his friend's face.

Ten names later, Samara Wright was the last one called and was sorted into Ravenclaw. Once the ceremony was over, Professor Granger took the hat and the bench behind the Professor's table, next to the back exit, while the Headmistress stood up and said: "Let the feast begin!"

As she said that, plates upon plates of food appeared on the table, making this part of Connor's dream as true as the rest. Amazed by the quantity of food despite what he had already seen in his dream, and the wonderful smell he hadn't perceived, Connor hesitated, not sure what to do next. When he saw the other students fill their pates, he did the same and poured himself a glass of juice he knew was pumpkin juice. He took a fork of food and brought it towards his mouth, hoping fervently he wouldn't wake up. He stayed there, without moving, his mouth opened, his fork halfway to his mouth, waiting to wake up but it didn't seem to happen. Quickly, as if to prevent the dream from ending, he shoved the fork in his mouth. He didn't wake up! Or rather, this reality was not a dream; it was all real. He started to chew, enjoying the taste of his food with great pleasure and bliss.

"What was that all about?" asked Gregory, amused.

Connor swallowed before answering.

"I was just making sure I wasn't dreaming," answered Connor with a grin.

"It sure feels like a dream all right," said Gregory with a chuckle. "Can you believe I'm in Gryffindor? My parents will be so surprised!"

"Why?" asked Connor. "Which House were they in?"

"My mum was in Slytherin and my dad in Ravenclaw," answered Gregory. "And my brother was a Hufflepuff! Can you believe we have all the Houses in my family?"

"That is quite a combination you've got there, Gregory," said Caius, one of their fellow first-year Gryffindors. "Very, very rare, too."

Gregory smiled proudly at the thought of being a rarity.

"Well, I'll get to see the only Common Room we didn't know the look of," he said.

A short while later, once they were done with dessert and Connor began to wonder when he would be allowed to leave the table, Professor McGonagall stood up and walked to the front of the teacher's table.

"May I have your attention please?" she said.

The students cessed their conversation and turned towards her.

"First of all, I want to welcome each and every one of you to Hogwarts," she said warmly. "And as usual, I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"We have three additions to our staff this year: Professor Silverspoon who will be teaching Transfiguration, Professor Granger who will be teaching Muggle Studies, and Professor Potter who kindly accepted to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts."

The announcement of Professor Potter was met with an explosion of comments from the students, most of which were suddenly trying to get a better look at him.

"Silence!" commanded Professor McGonagall.

To Connor's surprise, she had no problem having the crowd of unruly students obey her.

"Professor Potter has also kindly accepted to be Head of Gryffindor for the year."

This announcement was greeted with loud cheers and enthusiastic applauses from the students around Connor, especially the ones at his table. Connor smiled amused at the exuberance of his new housemates.

"In addition," continued Professor McGonagall, "Muggle Studies is now mandatory for all non-Muggle born students, unless they were raised by Muggles. All half-born students will be asked to present themselves for an evaluation of Muggle knowledge. Your evaluation schedule will be posted in your common room by tomorrow morning."

This announcement was received rather coldly and Connor wondered why. He would have thought wizard-born students would have wanted to learn about the normal world, especially since Gregory had shown an interest when they met.

"Conversely," continued the Headmistress. "Muggle-born students will now have to take courses introducing them to the wizarding world. Again, half-born students will be evaluated to determine which class they should attend.

"First-years should note that the forests of these grounds are forbidden to all students unless accompanied by a teacher.

"Quidditch trials will be next week. Should any of you be interested in playing for your House, contact your Quidditch Captain.

"And finally, Mr Filch has asked me to remind you magic should not be used in the corridors between classes.

"Now, first years, please follow your Prefects, they will show you to your dormitories."

Connor stood up and looked around, trying to locate the Prefects.

"First year Gryffindor!" called a girl towards the front of the hall.

Connor and Gregory walked to the tall blonde girl with blue eyes while the older students made their way to the double door at the back.

"Hi! Welcome to Gryffindor!" she said when all the first year had joined her. "I'm Abigail Lowell and I'm a seventh-year," she introduced herself with a smile. "All the Prefects in the school can be identified by this badge," she said, pointing her badge. "If you have any questions about anything, we'll be very happy to help you.

"Now, contrarily to previous years there are a little more students than usual, therefore we will separate you in two groups. The girls will come with me, and the boys will follow Joshua Perry who is right behind you."

"Hello," said a surprisingly deep voice behind them.

Connor turned around and saw a tall black boy with no hair and an easy smile which showed straight white teeth.

"Now, let's go," said Abigail.

Connor turned around and, as he followed Joshua towards the double doors, he looked around. He saw the students of the other Houses had similarly divided and were making their way to the exit. While they were all in the Entrance Hall, Connor saw Rajiv disappear down the stairs on the other side of the entrance door. He also recognized Zoïd in another group which took the same stairway.

"They are Hufflepuffs and Slytherins," said Gregory, noticing the direction of Connor's glance. "The entrance to their common room is in the dungeon."

"Really?" said Connor, starting to climb the stairs behind Joshua. "I know you told me the Hufflepuffs' dorms are in the cliff, but where are the Slytherins'?"

"My mum said they're under the lake," answered Gregory.

"Under the lake?" said Zarek Berka who was walking behind them.

"Yes," said Gregory. "She said all the windows look out into the lake. She said it's very pretty because during the day; everything looks greenish blue and feels peaceful. She also said there are really nice looking fishes in the lake and sometimes, the merpeople come by."

"Merpeople? You mean like mermaids?" asked Keith Shaw, another house mate.

"Yes," answered Gregory.

"Wow!" said Connor. "When will we get to see their common room?"

"We won't," answered Gregory. "We're not allowed in the other common rooms, just our own."

Connor found the rule pretty stupid. He didn't understand why it would be so bad to let the students from other Houses to visit each other. He guessed it was probably just a tradition which had evolved into a rule. He would have to ask Professor Potter about it.

"Where is the Ravenclaw dormitories?" he asked Gregory.

"In one of the towers, like ours," he answered.

They walked along a long corridor and through a doorway. Connor gasped with the rest of the students at the sight that greeted him. The room was in fact a stairway with multiple changing staircases. It was brightly lighted and on all the walls they could see numerous paintings and portraits. The most amazing thing to Connor was that those portraits and paintings actually moved and talked.

"This is the Changing Staircase Tower. This staircase is a little trickier as it changes a lot," said Joshua, turning to them as staircases began to change above their head. "Now, the trick is for you to get to the right location. That's why you should always give yourself some extra time to get to your lessons.

"If the staircase changes while you are making your way, please be careful not to fall below. If you end up in the wrong location, try another route or wait for the stairs to change again.

"Let's go," said Joshua, beginning to climb the stairs.

Connor found this chamber completely amazing, but quickly realised the heights made his stomach queasy. He had never been that high before except and, as when he had to get out of his bedroom through his window, heights did not agree with him at all. He made sure he was as close to the middle of the stairway as possible and looked up straight ahead. As they were climbing, the staircase began to change and they had to wait before exiting to the landing. Connor didn't like the feeling at all but was relieved to see he could manage better now that the staircase was against a wall.

"Joshua, will a staircase change while we're getting off of it?" asked Zarek wearily.

"Not that I know of," answered Joshua. "It seems to me, and this is only my impression, mind you, that staircases won't change when there is someone standing of the first or last three steps. It is probably why a group does not usually get separated and a student does not find himself stepping in mid-air."

"Make sense," said a man on one of the portrait.

"I have never thought of that," said a lady on another one.

"Maybe we should observe it," said yet another man.

"Yes, it would be interesting to see," said the first man.

"Please, let me know if my theory is verified," said Joshua to the portraits with a wide smile.

"You're a Gryffindor?" asked yet another portrait of a lady. "You should have been in Ravenclaw."

"You don't say!" said the first lady.

Laughing, Joshua started up another staircase and they followed him closer than previously in fear of being separated from their guide.

A few staircases later, they stopped on a landing in front of the portrait of a very fat lady wearing a white light dress and with white roses braided into her hair.

"Password?" she asked.

"This is the entrance to our common room and dormitories," said Joshua, turning to the first year and ignoring the portrait. "Across the way, over there, is the entrance to the Ravenclaw tower. And on the other side over there, is the corridor to the Headmistress office entrance," he explained.

"Well, are you going to tell me the password or not?" asked the Fat Lady impatiently.

"Of course, to access our Common Room you need a password," said Joshua. "Forgive and move on," he said to the portrait.

The door opened and revealed a short stone passageway, at the end of which were noises of conversation and bright lights. They gathered in the passageway and the door closed behind the last student.

"For those of you who didn't hear me, the password is 'Forget and move on'. Now, behind the tapestry to your left is a quiet room for you to study, if you so desire."

Joshua continued to walk and a few steps later, they emerged into a huge round room, brightly lit with golden lamps and furnished with comfortable-looking chairs. Most furniture and tapestries were scarlet with gold patterns except for the wood pieces which were a rich golden brown. Alongside some of the windows, Connor saw a few tables with wooden cushioned chair at which students were playing games. A warm and welcoming fire was burning in the fireplace.

As they emerged, the older students turned towards them and applauded. They were cheering the new arrivals with words such as "Welcome to Gryffindor" and "Welcome to our House". Connor smiled at their enthusiasm. Four other students, all with the Prefect badge, approached the group.

"These are Gavin Otis, Farrell Chauncier, Lindsay Morris and Glenda Javis," introduced Joshua, once the crowd returned to their occupation. "They are our four other perfects. They are here if you need anything and cannot find me. Gavin and Lindsay will also be here tomorrow morning to help you get back to the Great Hall and to show you were to find your classrooms so you won't get lost."

Connor was happy they had thought about that since he was yet to see a map of the massive and complex building. Joshua crossed the common room and stopped in front of two stairways.

"Now, the stairway on the right leads to the girl dormitories," he explained. "Boys are not allowed in the girls' dormitories and should you try to go, the stairs will disappear and the stairway will turn into a giant slide. In addition a loud alarm will ring and the Head of House will be notified of your transgression. Ron Weasley found that out a few years back when he tried to go visit Hermione Granger in her room."

Connor frowned. A boy had tried to visit Professor Granger in her room? He wondered if that Weasley was one of Ginny's brothers, one of the ones he had seen at the Wheezes.

"Now, follow me," said Joshua, climbing the stairs to the left.

They stopped at a landing and Joshua opened a door marked 'First'.

"This is your... mmh!" he suddenly interrupted himself. "This is odd," he added, frowning. "Please wait here," he directed them.

He climbed one more floor and came back down, a few moments later, with a huge smile on his face.

"This place will never cease to amaze me," he said, shaking his head.

"What's wrong?" asked Gregory.

"Since you are more students this year, it seems there will be two first year dormitories," explained Joshua with a smile. "You see, usually, we get five boys and five girls per year and all of them share one room. Now, this year, you are eight boys and, I have to admit, you would have been rather crowded. It seems to me the school has provided for the increase amount of boys by providing an extra dormitory for you.

"Now, please go inside and if you don't see your trunk, come back here and I'll take you upstairs.

"But before you go, let me point out the bathrooms are one floor up from the Common Room," he said, pointing down the stairs.

"Also, let me remind you breakfast starts at 7am and classes, for the first period, at 9:00. While you don't all have to go to breakfast at 7:00, you need to make it on time to your lessons. For tomorrow, I would suggest you get up early so you can be shown where your classrooms are. Gavin and Lindsay will be leaving at 8:15 with the students who are interested in the school tour. Your schedule will be given to you tomorrow morning at breakfast by Professor Potter.

"Do you have any questions? No? Okay. Now go see if this is your room."  
Connor followed his classmates inside and quickly looked for his trunk and his cats. They were not there. He walked out onto the landing and, a few seconds later, Gregory, Zarek and another boy named Lucas Kennedy, joined him. He smiled at Gregory happy to see he would be sharing a room with his friend.

"Okay, let's go," said Joshua, climbing up the stairs.

They stopped at the next landing and Joshua opened the door.

"Welcome home!" he said. "If you need anything, you can find me in the Common Room or on the next floor up."

The four boys mumbled their thanks and walked into the room. Knowing this was his room, Connor took a good look at it instead of focusing on his trunk like he had done below.

The room had four four-poster beds with a scarlet curtains embodied with golden patterns. Between each bed was an alcove with a window. In the middle of the room was a currently cold wood stove with a pipe that reached another pipe which ran from floor to ceiling. Connor assumed the floor to ceiling pipe was the chimney and would link all the stoves in the boys' tower. He wondered for a moment how the system would keep the smoke from entering the room but he remembered he was at Hogwarts, where everything seemed to be possible or provided for.

He finally looked for his trunk and found it at the end of the second bed to his right. On top of his trunk was a little pile of clothes in golden yellow and red. He took it and unfolded each pieces. He had now two new ties, a very long scarf, a winter hat, and two everyday muggle long-sleeves shirts and two short sleeves shirt in the House colours. The shirts also had the Gryffindor emblem stamped on the front.

He opened his trunk and found his clothes had been removed. Next to his bed were a small night table and a chest of drawers. He also notices drawers on the side of his bed, in which he could store some of his belongings. Poking from under the bed were the cages of his two cats.

Connor looked up and saw both of his cats curled on his bed, sleeping. Smiling, he petted them lovingly.

"You've got two half-kneazles?!" asked Lucas who was on the bed to his right.

"Yeah," answered Connor.

Milord stood, stretched, turned around on himself a few times, and laid back down.

"How did you manage that?" asked Lucas impressed.

"Well, it wasn't anything I did, really," he answered. "They found me."

"Lucas, you know about half-kneazles so I take it one of your parents is a wizard," said Gregory who was on the bed to Connor's left.

"Both actually, and you?"

"Me, too," answered Gregory.

"Yeah, I remember now," said Lucas. "Weren't you saying at dinner your mum is a Slytherin, your dad a Ravenclaw and your brother a Hufflepuff?"

"Yes," answered Gregory. "And you?"

"Gryffindors, the both of them," he answered. "What about you, Zarek? Any of your parents wizards?" he asked the last boy in their dorm room.

"No," answered Zarek with a slight accent Connor hadn't noticed before with all the ambient noise. "They were quite afraid when Professor Flitwick showed up with my letter. We suspected I had some sorts of power but we tried to keep it as quiet as possible. When my parents lived in Poland, there was a little girl who exhibited power in their village and she was taken away by the government, never to be seen again. My parents, when they saw Flitwick and began to listen to him, were afraid the government had found out about me and was going to take me away. It took a lot of persuasion from the Professor to convince them we were not in a communist country and he was not the government coming to take me away," he explained.

"How did they react to Diagon Alley?" asked Gregory.

"Very well," answered Zarek with a grin. "They figured if the Professor was willing to show them all of it, he was surely not the government. It actually convinced them I would be safe after all, and not a prisoner."

Connor did not understand Zarek parents' fear of government or what a communist government was and made a note to ask Professor Potter when he had a chance.

"I don't know for you guys, but I'm spent," said Lucas. "I'm cleaning up and I'm going to bed."  
"Yeah, I think I will too," said Connor. "Gregory, do you know what I should do with my cats? I forgot to ask Joshua earlier."

"Oh! Just leave them free," answered Gregory. "Here at Hogwarts, they're safe and can go pretty much anywhere they please. If they end up where they don't belong, the house-elves will bring them back."

"Wow!" said Connor.

He was amazed cats were that free to roam and wondered why he hadn't seen more of them around the castle. He looked back at Milord and Milady, and figured if all the cats were like his, they probably stayed near their owner.

"How do I feed them?" asked Connor, thinking they may not be able to hunt while inside the castle.

"The house-elves will do it too, if there is a need," answered Gregory.

Connor opened his trunk again to get his pyjamas but couldn't find it. He went to his bed and looked under the pillow. It was there, nicely folded. Connor grabbed it and his toothbrush from his trunk, and walked to the bathroom on the floor below.

The bathroom was surprisingly big compared to what he was used to at home. It had a few bathtubs surrounded by curtains to afford the user some privacy, about ten enclosed showers, and a dozen toilet cubicles. There were also a row of sinks on top of which were little cabinets with the boys' name on it. In a corner next to the door was a couple of shelves with plush bath towels and flannels in the colours of Gryffindor. Next to it was a basket for the used towels.

After brushing his teeth, Connor opened the cabinet with his name on and found a space for his toothbrush and toothpaste. He closed the door and looked himself in the mirror to make sure his teeth were satisfactorily cleaned.

"You're all fine now, boy," said a male voice, making Connor almost jump out of his skin.

He looked around to try and find out who had spoken. Lucas, who was brushing his teeth next to him, laughed.

"It's the mirror," he said.

"Oh! Right!" said Connor. "Thanks mirror," he said with a shy smile.

He went to one of the empty shower for a quick shower. Once he was done, he dressed in his pyjamas and went back to the dormitory where he slipped in his bed. The sheets were very soft and a warm shade of red, like most everything else in the Gryffindor tower. Connor lay down and his cats reorganized themselves on each side of him. Connor was glad this bed was wider than the one at home, otherwise he would have been rather cramped. He gently petted both of his cat's heads, thinking it was nice to be allowed to have them with him while he slept. They made him feel safer somehow. While at home, they had never stayed with him at night but here, they seemed inclined to do so. He wondered what had brought that change in them.

"You don't pull your curtains?" asked Lucas, climbing into bed.

Connor hadn't even thought about it.

"Good idea," he said.

He pulled most of his curtains close, only leaving a small opening next to his night table. He laid back down, closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he was asleep.

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End file.
